The Great Elf War
by arisflame
Summary: SNARRY. Harry's gone, Snape's missing and the house elves are revolting... what happened? Creature Fic ABANDONED
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Well, here starts the corrections and reposting. I do hope you like.**

**With that in mind, I decided to try something new. I know that there are some out there that didn't care for my short summery and some select others that got a preview of the longer version of a summery that had been originally intended (but discarded) as the prologue. I decided to include both for your enjoyment… *snickers***

*****

*****

*****

The Great Elf War; Prologue

"The defendant, Harry James Potter, has been found guilty of all crimes."

The boy in question lowered his eyes in dismay as the toad-faced witch gleefully read off the verdict of his underage magic trial. Most of the present witches and wizards were devoid of all expression but some of them, like Fudge or Malfoy, whom were pleased with what was being read.

This did not mean well for Harry.

'Where was Dumbledore? He should have been here.'

"For the third offense of Illegal Usage of Magic by a Minor, the defendant, Harry James Potter, is expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His wand shall be broken and he is forbidden from taking another one."

Harry promptly grimaced as the wizard that had taken his wand as the beginning of the trial stood in front of the courtroom and made a show off snapping his holly wand into two. If he knew the officials in front of him, then he would not be able to keep the pieces either if he asked for them.

He stayed silent.

"For the Illegal Usage of Magic in Front of a Muggle, the defendant Harry James Potter's magic will be sealed to prevent another occurrence even accidentally. The sealing will be scheduled for three days from now."

"What?" Harry gasped, horrified.

"Finally, for the crime of spreading lies and creating discord amongst the citizens of the Wizarding World, the defendant, Harry James Potter, is forbidden all contact with the Wizarding Community also scheduled to begin in three days.

"Have a good life as a Muggle, Mr. Potter, as you are no longer welcome here."

Harry left the courtroom disheartened under escort only to be found by an anxious Arthur Weasley to whom the Aurors were glad to turn him over to.

"How did it go?" He asked but the boy's upset demeanor more than answered his question. "Come, let's get you back."

Harry nodded numbly. Right now, he desperately needed a shoulder to cry on.

*****

**And here's the original- (a/n- Nope, the fragment below has not been edited, nor was ever intended to be.) Aren't you glad I decided to change my mind and NOT use this? **

I knew from the first time our eyes met that our paths would intertwine, possibly for eternity. He was probably the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, sitting there at the Head Table aloof and unaffected by the activity around him.

I would later learn the Wizarding folk young and old alike shunned him, never seeing past the image of wretchedness and hatred he molded and later perfected during his years in the Magical World. Naturally, the house-elves adored him while annoying everyone else they could. I let my desire to fit in to this new world override my longing for this perfection and forced myself to see what the others saw. Over the next four years, I let the lies and glamours we both created sway my actions and decisions. That was my first and perhaps greatest mistake.

My second mistake was thinking that the Wizarding Community was different than the Dursleys  
and the Muggle World. Fear begets panic and chaos which Voldemort's name did in droves as rumors of his resurrection spread. Fame became a double-edged sword when the envy and corruption of the Ministry of Magic and its Minister had the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Speak-The-Truth's wand snapped and banished from the Wizarding World for breaking the Underage Magic and Illegal Magic Usage in front of a Muggle Rules. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Order of Merlin First Class, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Defeater of the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald, Champion of the Forces of Light and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix), the man that could have saved Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter, from this fate was no where to be found.

I was at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place when the house-elf, Kreacher, informed me of the fact that Severus Snape (Potions Master and Professor of Hogwarts, Ex-Death Eater and Spy for the forces of Light) never came back from the Death Eater meeting at the end of last school year, a little over a month ago. The members of the Order of the Phoenix presume that he's either dead or a traitor to the cause but I happen to know that he's still alive, and in very good hands. House-elves, while underappreciated by the Magical World, see everything and their loyalty can't be bought, only earned. When Dobby came for me from Number 4 Privet Drive twenty minutes after my return there, I knew it was time to act.

The wrath of a house-elf is devastating but the wrath of the Cwn Wybir is deadly. The Magic World will pay for hurting one of our own. Our Lord wouldn't have it any other way. 


	2. Chapter 1: Two Worlds

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Translations are at the bottom… (along with something extra that wasn't there before- hehe)**

**s**

**s**

**s  
**

Chapter 1

Harry waited on the lawn of the Dursleys' house for the messages he knew he would receive from his friends regarding the world he had been forced to leave. His Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were the reason why he was waiting outside instead of inside the house. They had taken the news of his banishment from the Wizarding World rather gleefully, and after smugly reminding him of everything that he had lost, proceeded to kick him and everything he possessed out of the house and their life with the warning that if he was not off the property within an hour's time they were calling the police. The teen had just spent the last ten minutes gathering the few things he had left into a garbage bag that he had managed to salvage. The Order and Ministry had confiscated everything even remotely magical that he owned including his beloved Hedwig, so all that he had left were the cast-offs that the Dursleys gave him and those Harry intended to discard as soon as he was able. He was beyond sick from experiencing their hatred and the fall of the supposedly protective blood-wards mere moments earlier confirmed just how welcome he had been there.

"Darby, you're late," he quietly complained to the wind, knowing that the Dursleys would carry out on their threat if they heard him. He wanted to be gone by before the hour was up even if it meant having to wait instead at the park. His ride was usually rather punctual and the best part about it, neither the Muggles nor the Wizarding Community knew anything about Darby. Contradictory to what he had told Ron and Hermione during his second year at Hogwarts, Dobby had not the first house elf Harry had ever met. Darby was originally the house elf of his paternal grandparents and came to him shortly after Dumbledore had left him at Privet Drive following his parents' death. He was also the reason why Harry was able to see eleven and why his greatest secret had never been discovered. The little elf had also been clever enough not to be discovered.

Ron and Hermione knew a little of that secret, but that was more than what he was comfortable with them knowing. They were only human and could not be privy to some of his more extensive secrets. Unfortunately he had slipped up shortly two days ago when Ron and Hermione had caught him in the possession of a small polished blue stone of no unearthly origin that they had never seen before much less knew that he had. When he refused to answer anything about the twinkling gem, they then proceeded to sic Bill Weasley on him and forced to tell them some of what he knew about it. Harry was just thankful it was Bill and not one of the others. It certainly helped that the eldest Weasley son working for the Gringotts goblins that he was under oath and could not say anything about the stone. Gaining the promises of silence from his two closest human friends was not so easy and had left behind a foul taste in his mouth. Ron, for once, was actually the first of the two to agree. It was hard enough getting the stone back after the humans had taken everything and for that he owed Kreacher a large show of gratitude for when he next saw the Black family's house elf.

He was just fortunate that no one had connected Darby with the Potters.

'It had to be done,' he said thoughtfully as he unconsciously tightened his grip on the small stone and allowed its comforting energy to wash over him. The feel of Snape's energy was addictive and often left him light-headed. Hermione had asked him what it felt like and the only way he could describe it was to compare to it to savoring a rich peppermint-chocolate mousse. He had gotten his first taste of the Muggle dessert when Hogwarts had served it last year to make the students from Beauxbatons more welcome there during the Tournament and both of his friends knew that he had fallen for the treat on the first bite.

It finally allowed him to take the time and dream. With nothing else to do but wait, Harry let his thoughts slip back to that day in question.

"Why do you have this?" Bill asked exasperated, gripping the twinkling blue stone that Harry handed him. The four of them were presently in the privacy of the parlor of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place where they were less likely to be overheard after Ron had complained to his siblings about Harry keeping secrets from him. His brother's description alone was enough to get Bill's full attention and he immediately sought the trio out.

"Darby said I was the best one for the job," Harry had responded.

"Darby?" Bill asked, confused.

"The house-elf that gave me the stone," Harry answered. "He said that he'll come back for it in a while. Why, is there something wrong?"

'What is he thinking?' Bill wondered, shaking his head then told the confused fifteen-year old, "No, there's nothing wrong. It's just you don't see many of these outside of the forsaken realms and those you do see are either in the care of Fae-blood or are elf-friends."

"So Harry became an 'elf-friend' by helping Dobby?" Ron had said, trying to understand what he was being told.

"No, I don't think that's enough of a reason," Bill shook his head, "And this one is too wrong of a color to just be handed off."

"There are different colors?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Yes, elf-friends are usually given either yellow elf-stones used to communicate between them or green elf-stones designed to store items," Bill said, "This makes absolutely no sense…"

"So what does this blue one do then?" Hermione asked, enraptured.

"Well… first off," Bill told Harry as he gave the boy back the stone, "this is not an elf-stone. This is a soul-stone. Inside this stone is a spirit of a Fae fighting for its right to live. Soul-stones are not just given away. Even mixed fae-bloods are hard pressed to even see one." Hermione gasped in horror and even Ron was eying it up, torn between shock and envy. "Were you told what to do with the stone, Harry?"

"Just that I should keep it with me at all times until the elf comes back for it," Harry answered.

"How come you know so much about elf-stones?" Hermione looked from the stone to Bill, eagerly asking. The boys knew that the moment the eldest Weasley son dismissed them that their friend would be in the books looking for everything she could on elf-stones.

"Several magical creatures, usually Fae, use them," Bill said, pulling a small clear yellow marble from his pocket. "Gringotts have them. The goblins use them to get a hold of their employees, but we're sworn not to mention it to anyone who don't know of their existence."

He would have said more but the Weasley matriarch interrupted with, "BILL! RON! HERMIONE! HARRY! GET DOWN HERE! DINNER IS READY!"

"Go on," Bill told his brother and Hermione, and waited for them to leave before asking Harry, "What is it that you aren't telling me? You know why you have the stone, don't you?"

"Umm," Harry began then sighed, "It's kind of complicated…"

"Try anyway," Bill told him grimly.

Harry swallowed then began, "It belongs to Snape."

How he had come into possession of Snape's soul-stone was another piece of information that Harry had no intention of revealing to anyone. Snape had disappeared shortly after the Tri-Wizard Tournament at Dumbledore's command to infiltrate the newly resurrected Lord Voldemort and his followers and never returned. The members of the Order of the Phoenix would later write the missing man off as either dead or a defector when after three weeks all of his belongings vanished and like their owner, no trace of them could be found. Bill had not taken the news well and six weeks later with what he learned from Harry had come to different conclusions than his companion about their missing spy. While Bill suspected that Snape couldn't have been fully human and was probably recovering with his Fae kindred, he was wrong about not only the purity of the Fae-blood but why the Professor had to resort to such methods in order to survive.

Harry didn't have the heart to tell his friends and adopted family that he wasn't entirely human either and that was one of the reasons why Snape's life-force had been entrusted to him. The other reason had to do with the fact that the stone allowed Harry to ground the snarky man's energy so he could fully recover. Whatever Voldemort had done during that meeting six weeks ago to the man he deemed 'traitor' had completely destabilized his magic core and it had literally burned him from the inside out. The house-elves at whichever manor the soul-stone had been taken from had taken advantage of the chaos left by the unstable magical force and had gotten it (and Snape) out.

That last piece of knowledge was another point that Harry intended to take with him to the afterlife.

His instincts told him that he could not currently trust any of the members of the Order of the Phoenix nor any wizard aligned human with this information. On any other day he might have told Sirius, Lupin, the Weasleys or even the newly arrived Fleur with what he knew but at the moment it was not possible. While Lupin seemed indifferent if not tolerable of the Potion Master's antics, Sirius despised him with a passion bordering obsession and while not as vocal as his godfather, the Weasleys had made thoughts vocal as to what they thought of him. They also were too close to Dumbledore to be considered as Dumbledore had already proved that he could not be trusted. Harry's only ally amongst the Order would be Fleur but she was too new to the group and the headmaster's manipulative ways to last long once he sensed anything amiss.

There was also Ginny to take into consideration. She was clinging to him like a lost puppy while the trio was at Grimmauld Place on the pretense that she was lonely. The very same instincts that warned him of the headmaster had also told Harry in no way, shape or form to trust the girl. The scent of lifelessness was too tightly shrouded around the youngest Weasley child to be anything good and the only time he ever saw any life in her was when she was trying to get his attention. He was most certainly not interested in getting involved with any mortal in the way she desired. Harry found it hard enough just being polite. Someone was using the Weasley girl for their purposes and he was not sure who or what was pulling her strings. He just knew that he did not like it but at the moment, the source still eluded him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft pop that had let him know that he was no longer alone. The new arrival was not Darby but another sent in his place. The little elf actually looked a bit like Winky although Harry knew that the messenger was male. "Leigheas, we can go now," the house-elf said. "The Lord wishes to see to see you after you supped and settled in."

Harry smugly grinned at his words.

The Ministry lackeys should have been a little more specific when giving him the terms of his banishment. The terms only mentioned the Wizarding World. They said absolutely nothing about the Faerie Realms.

He was finally going home.

_cŵn _

As one abandoned teen settled into his new home and the three most politically powerful wizards throughout the UK continued to plot for control over the Wizarding World, an slight form in a dark manor slipped unseen into memories with the potential to change everything anyone knew.

There had been fifteen standing over him that day when he fell from grace at the hands of his Lord and Master. Fourteen had escaped the confines of what could be Azkaban though only Karkaroff and Snape had slipped away from the Dark side altogether.

Igor Karkaroff had chosen to run, taking his family with him. Severus Snape, on the other hand, had known even before his arrival that it was a mistake to return. His Lord had not been pleased with him and his excuses had fallen on deaf ears.

Laughter from the others had accompanied the first of the potions forced into him by Lucius Malfoy. One of the brews was instantly recognized as Veritaserum and the other as a potion promoting fertility he had made at the request of Narcissa when there was talk of them having a second child. Neither conception nor the duration of the pregnancy had been easy for Narcissa so having Draco proved to be once in a life-time chance. It was no wonder that the Malfoy couple had spoiled their only child, his godson, rotten.

The fertility potion would have no effect on him and he did not understand the reason of being doused with it until he was held down by the fathers of the Crabbe and Goyle that he taught at Hogwarts. Malfoy had then proceeded to use his hair to force him to stare at Voldemort who held a potion that he did not recognize.

"Do you know what this is, my darling Severus?" His master's hissing rasp graced them, "This is a special blend of Strengthening Potions used with the intent of opening any and all latent abilities. Our dear Barty Crouch found it before his unfortunate demise but was able to pass it on nonetheless. At first I had thought I would keep the potion for myself but after learning some rather interesting facts, decided that it would be best used elsewhere."

He had heard of the potion before. It was a very rare and difficult potion to create called Potestas Solvo. However, his attention was more on that of the other Death Eaters present whom were trying to understand what their master was saying.

"It seems that during my short stay at Hogwarts four years ago I heard a very intriguing rumor," Voldemort said smugly. "It would seem that our dear Severus was not honest about his blood-lineage."

"But my lord," one of the Death Eaters protested, "Why would he lie about possessing filthy Mud-blood?" He closed his eyes, recognizing the voice as his old classmate Avery. The fact he was a half-blood was well known through his time as a student at Hogwarts.

"I knew it!" Another exclaimed, "He is no Prince but a filthy Mud-blood!"

Both of them were met with a "Crucio!" from Voldemort's wand followed by an enraged, "Did I give either of you permission to speak?" The two men quickly groveled when they were again able to stand while the others watched with a mixture of smug bemusement and scorn. "No, my lord!"

Voldemort was not amused but his attention had turned back to their traitor, "I believe they call your kind a winged elf, and not just any winged elf but a Royal Winged Elf, an Iompróir." He managed to keep his reaction to the news off his face; however, his fellow Death Eaters were not as fortunate as he was soon stared upon with shocked and eager expressions.

"Tell me, Severus, is your brethren as really as beautiful as the stories say?"

"I wouldn't know," he had answered honestly. He had never seen another Fae until Hogwarts when he first met the Hogwarts house-elves and his mother had sealed away his Fae-blood before his wings ever fully manifested nor had he born witness to his true face. The one that looked back at him in the mirror was a glamour created by his mother and reinforced by the headmaster in his Fifth year at Hogwarts shortly after his near fatal run-in with the Marauders' pet werewolf. He still had yet to see, much less hear of, another iompróir and that alone showed just how rare his kind was.

"Liar!" Malfoy hissed out with the rest of them, eager for blood and the need to have their master's favor.

Voldemort ignored them with an amused smirk. "Of course not. Your powers were sealed while you were still too young to resist. Dumbledore's work I believe." He neither acknowledged nor denied the claim and Voldemort did not expect him to as he moved on to another subject.

"You iompróir are androgynous, are you not? Capable of reproducing as either male or female?"

"Again, I would not know," he answered. "I have no children."

"Yes, yes," Voldemort said soothingly despite his followers' biting insults, "Of that we're well aware. Yet, if the stories are to be believed, the fertility rate of the iompróir is slightly higher than that of their gendered relatives. Slightly less than that of a human female's."

Voldemort then popped open the vial and slowly approached the restrained man, "I have decided that you will be spared, my dear traitor, as you are still worth more to me alive than not. However you will join the ranks of your lesser kin as my own personal servant. Hold him still."

As he had no desire to be a house-elf to this madman, Snape fought to break but his efforts were not enough to escape swallowing the potion contents.

The next thing he remembered was fire.

He was unaware of when the first of the glamours placed on him broke.

The next nine days Snape had spent in and out of delirium with only a house-elf able to stay near him. The Death Eaters had tried had been thrown across the room like rag-dolls when his restrained magic had erupted and had scorched whatever had been near. Narcissa had been rather amused when she learned that Goyle, Crabbe, Voldemort, Macnair, Wormtail, her husband and two other Death Eaters had to be rushed to the nearest medi-witch for 3rd-degree burns caused by his awakening. The unconscious man was then moved to Malfoy Manor to recover after Voldemort took his wrath on his followers for this latest development.

The manor wards fell like paper under the onslaught of the iompróir's out of control power and had to be replaced on a daily basis. It was ultimately Narcissa's idea to use the house-elves to nurse their iompróir prisoner back to health, but her husband's eagerness to please his Lord and Master once the elves had managed to physically stabilize him would soon set off the first of the seizures that would rack his body. His hasty actions would also traumatize his grief-stricken son and an angry wife. When Voldemort had learned of his deeds and the issued out punishment on the Malfoy patriarch, Narcissa had had enough.

The first thing she had done was have one of the house-elves deliver the iompróir's soul-stone to whichever one of the Fae that could best help her husband's ex-friend, and sent the rest out to deliver a message to the Faerie Realms to rescue Snape and take him somewhere safe to heal. By the time the messenger had arrived, Narcissa had already lowered the wards to the point where her husband would not notice their disappearance until it was too late.

Lucius did not even realize that he had even disappeared until she personally told him. He even bought her explanation that "Snape was dead" and that she had the house-elves dispose of the body where no one would ever find it.

Voldemort's actions were no less bloodthirsty than before but Lucius was not the only one to suffer his rage this time. No one noticed Narcissa Malfoy smirking in the background before she returned to the real world with her tracks already covered weeks prior.

Her plotting nonetheless continued but first she had to speak with her son.

s

s

s

**Translations:**

**Darby- deer settlement/derby (old English)**  
**Leigheas- healer (Gaelic)**  
**Iompróir- bearer/carrier (Gaelic)**  
**Potestas Solvo- release power (Latin)**

**s  
**

**Notes/Sources (Mythology)**

**Faerie-** "to enchant/enchantment" Derived from the Latin word "fatare" and French word "fée", it was used originally to describe the magic of the Fae. Although over the years there are many names for the Fay (the first spelling of Fae- means being), it is believed that the Italians were the first to associate the term with the race and modeled them after the Fates (Roman trio of goddesses that controlled the destiny of mankind) and the Furies (Greek goddesses of vengeance) spawning the first stories about fairy godparents and snake-women enchantresses (lamia/naga). Modern Theology classifies faeries as the fallen angels that had not taken the sides of either God or Lucifer during his revolt and were banished to Earth for their indifference to wait out Judgment Day.  
**Elf stone- **In Western myth, it was any small polished stone (usually an agate or beryl) found lying on the ground that is said to be left by the Fae as a marker. Only in the recent years have elf stones been said to possess magical powers. JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Terry Brooks' Shannara series are two of the most popular (and recent) stories to include elf stones.  
**Forsaken Lands-** One of the names given to the lands where the Fae are said to dwell after being driven underground. Passage to the Faerie lands are said to be passing through fairy ring mushrooms, fairy hills, mist gate (a portal that appeared in a fog bank) or stepping onto a fairy island (like Avalon). Time is said to flow differently there (as unsuspecting humans that have ventured there stayed the night to return to home to find years passed and their friends old and grey or dead) and humans that eat their food while there find themselves unable to leave. The Faerie Lands of Celtic mythology closely parallel the Realms of the Dead in other cultures (the most obvious similarity being the story of Persephone from Greek & Roman myth) as fairy hills are better known as burial mounds. Each of these legends claim the Faerie lands are a place of eternal feasting and drinking, music and dancing (and just being happy).  
**Elf-friend-** A term coined by Tolkien for any human that has done a great service to the Fae (Elves), and by doing such, gained their alliance.  
House elf- JKR probably modeled these after a brownie, an elf-like Scottish house fairy that will do odd jobs around the house or farm in return for a nightly bowl of milk or cream. Giving one clothes will drive them away but angering one may result in the creation of a boggart. House fairy is the generalized term for an benevolent (or mischievous) Fae that dwells in a human home where most will freely guard the home or do domestic chores in exchange for food and/or a place to sleep. House fairies also know to be hard to please and are easily offended, resulting in many rituals around the world designed to banish or repel Fae from the home.  
**Elf-**_ "white or shining spirit"_ Derived from the Teutonic languages, they were originally ancestral spirits that brought fertility. Norse myth separated elves into the light and dark elves but it was in Britain that they found their fame as the terms elf and fairy became interchangeable. Many English names (like Alfred) also referred to elves. Modern elves are usually described as one of two things- the little bearded creatures that work under Santa Claus, or the tall beautiful creatures that wear white and green that are associated with LotR. England classifies elves as the latter category where they are better known as trooping fairies (a company of underground elves that follow a monarch), however, them being human height actually originated from Scotland (English elves and fairies are the same height: child size). Scandinavian folklore is what associates them to the forests and groves, dancing in the moonlight, and acts of mischief along with shape-shifting powers. Female Danish elves are said to be hollow in the back but their male counterpart might be the foundation for the Santa's elves legend. _(A/N- I found no concrete proof (other than a reference from the children's book that came out in that 1980's that spawned the garden gnome -statue- epidemic that still continues today) as to whether elves possess wings or not so this might be the modern divider that separates elves from fairies. It was from that book that I took the information about winged elves being hermaphrodites as there are many other stories of the smaller winged fairies being classified as androgynous.)_

**And finally, this little gem- **

**Dobby- (also spelled Dobie) **An English house fairy that is fond of helping humans, or guarding treasure, but is more of a hindrance than a help. In West Yorkshire, a Dobie is an evil fairy that garrotes unsuspecting horsemen that lives in barns, farmhouses, towers or bridges. The Ghost of Morthan Tower, Rokeby, is believed to be a Dobie.


	3. Chapter 2: Arrival

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Here's chapter two- along with the translations and some more notes on fairies… **

**Also, for those whom have read tGEW before I started my revision and corrections, I must warn you that chapters 2 through 5 have been compressed and that the scenes are in a slightly different order than they were before. It is also likely that the next chapter that goes up with new material will be marked as chapter 5. **

**i**

**i**

**i  
**

Chapter 2

The village of Ælwyd always remained close to his heart although it had been years since Harry had last been to the beautiful forest. It only took mere seconds for the teen to shed his human guise and take his true form but he also knew that that time mentally was not quite as easily to get rid of. Modesty didn't matter as much in the Faerie realms as they did in the Mortal Realms for few of the inhabitants wore clothes but it was a lesson he would have to relearn from his time amongst the mortals. His body had grown too use to the restraining fabric. He did smirk at the irony remembering that he could have pretended to be an animagus if not for the fact his true form was that recognizable. Sirius Black had pretended to be a Churchyard Grim, so why couldn't that misidentification work in reverse?

It had taken several years to get use to the fact that here he was not 'Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter', the 'Boy-Who-Lived', 'Savior of the Wizarding World' or any of those other ridiculous names the mortals had been christened him with. In the Faerie Realms he was 'Leigheas' to the house-elves, 'Cenau' to his kindred and 'Spéir' to the Sidhe Court although it had taken him nearly a year to convince the house-elves in the Wizarding World not to call him any thing but 'Harry Potter'. Most of them still referred to him as Leigheas whenever they were alone. It had taken him nearly as long to adjust after Darby told him his Potion Professor's true name: Dáiríre Marthanóir, youngest of the Tuatha dé Danaan, descendant of the Sea Goddess Danu and great-nephew to his Lord Arawn.

He had known from the moment that he had been informed of Snape's heritage at the age of five as to where he would end up. The mortals' prophecy that had sent a madman after his parents meant that he would remain tied to the mortal world until it came to past. The humans just hadn't realized how much more of it that Trelawney left unsaid.

Acting as if he had been ignorant of the Wizarding World had not been as hard as he feared it would. There were actually things he didn't know simply because of what he was and there was several times throughout his schooling at Hogwarts that he wished that he was still human. Reacting as a human would had been a bit harder to pull off which he knew wasn't always successful if the odd looks he earned from his friends were any indication.

Harry sighed as he followed the house-elf towards the dining hall. He knew that it'd be best if he approached Snape while on a full stomach.

Maybe then he would get answers to his questions.

Harry had not been able to see Snape until the evening following his return to the Faerie Realm of Annwn and even then the injured man was still unconscious. He had hoped that he would be able but instead had spent most of the first night reintroducing him to the pack and presenting himself to his Lord Arawn and once morning came, spent catching up with his teachers. It was only when the purifier known by the pack as Old Man Primas had thought he was ready did Harry actual enter the room for the first time but it was another that had shown him the damage Snape had taken at the hands of the Death Eaters.

Harry didn't think he had ever been so scared even facing down Voldemort two months prior as he had that first glance. Watching Snape fight for his very right to breathe had forced him to reevaluate his feelings; not just of the man that lay in front of him, but all the feelings he had refused to over the years to acknowledge. Hatred from over the years had taken a back-seat to what he was feeling now: desire for his mate, his beauty, his asgre. Even his pack had noticed his growing infatuation as Gwynnwy, his mentor and one of the eldest of the Cŵn, had pulled him aside to encourage him to carry through on his feelings.

_ "It sounds like you're describing asgre," Gwynnwy had said during dinner after seeing Snape when he mentioned the draw he felt from the soul-stone. "Pups that don't participate in the Hunt go to those that complete them best. Some will even follow the bonding to its conclusion- that is asgre. You and he were both raised in the Mortal World and that left marks on you both. Those scars binds you two tight."_

_ Harry had protested, "But nothing will ever happen between us. He hates me!" _

_ "Don't be so sure of that," Gwynnwy reminded him, "Dáiríre has been hurt and those scars lie deep. I don't know what those humans were thinking by harming an iompróir, but the Shee don't take lightly to it. That's perhaps the only thing the Blessed and Dark Courts will ever agree upon."_

_ "What?" Harry protested, "My ma- part- Snape's a what?" He wasn't sure what to call his former Professor now._

_ Gwynnwy chuckled at his loss for words before commenting, "Your asgre is a rarity born only once a generation since the first ones fell to Earth. Only those that bear the mark are iompróir. Dáiríre had that mark until the humans took it from him although if I correctly understand, the signs of it still remain."_

_ "Mark? What mark?" Harry tried to remember if he seen anything unusual about Snape when he saw the man and was drawing a blank._

_ "Bruising," Gwynnwy confirmed, helping his thought process along, "discoloration on his back between his shoulder blades." Harry remembered seeing that. Snape's entire upper back had looked like a bright red spider-web of scars, swelling and spider-veins concentrated around his spine. At the time, Harry had felt as if something important should be there but wasn't. From what Gwynnwy was saying, his instincts were right._

_ Harry groaned then demanded, "Gwynnwy, what was supposed to be there?"_

_ Gwynnwy sighed and said, "I keep forgetting that you know so little about your people. What humans call 'Fae' or 'Magic Creatures' and/or 'Beings' possess distinct traits specific to each of the genders. Our women-folk have no equal in terms of physical and mental allure and our men-folk are unmatched in both mental and physical power. Even the strongest of Wizarding folk could not match the weakest of Fae by way of magical energy. The third came in the form of wings."_

_ "That makes no sense what so ever," Harry protested. "Fairies, pixies, doxies all have wings and they are boys and girls too. Aren't they Fae also?"_

_ "I was talking about the Sidhe, not the Low Court," Gwynnwy scolded him for interrupting. "Many humans forget that even Elves can possess wings." Harry froze, attention caught and held. "Modern humans have forgotten the lessons of their past and even their magical counterparts are continuing in their mistakes. Over the last hundred years, the Wizarding Community has broken the treaties with our kinds many times, yet despite all their history, they forget in their arrogance why the Goblins declared war in the first place. It's amazing that the Brownie Pact has lasted as long as it did and even that is strained past its limits."_

_ "Brownie?" Harry asked, confused._

_ "They're what Mortals of ages past call house-elves," Gwynnwy said, amused, "I guess their modern counterparts didn't want their hired-help mixed up with their food so they changed the name. The only things the mortals have right are those silly ceramic statues of red-capped old men in their gardens."_

_ Harry chuckled, "You mean the gnomes."_

_ "Exactly," Gwynnwy agreed._

_ The first half of Gwynnwy's words finally registered as he repeated, "Snape has wings?!"_

_ "Had wings, you mean," Gwynnwy said sadly. "Whatever they did to force his Fae-blood dormant destroyed them. He'll have to grow them back. It's no wonder he's in a lot of pain." _

_ She then said, "You really must learn to call him by his true name. What would an outsider think if they heard you call him by a human name?"_

_ "That there was another Snape somewhere else and that one or both of them were Changelings?" Harry retorts, showing his mentor that he wasn't totally ignorant of the Fae. "But I can't do anything if he won't let me… and he won't either, you know?"_

_ "Stubborn puppies," Gwynnwy sighed before remembering the time and where they both were suppose to be. "Go on. You have a lesson to get to. Taoiseach will have my hide if you're late."_

_ "Yes ma'am!" Harry saluted and bounded away leaving an amused Cŵn Annwn behind._

While the conversation with Gwynnwy had left him deep in thought, he found himself with more questions than answers. His dreams of late had been growing stranger by the day and he feared that they were being affected by the rapture he shared with Snape's soul-stone. Last night he had dreamt that he dueled against his Charms Professor, Filius Flitwick. The night before it was his Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall, taught him how to be an animagus. What worried him was the fact that he could remember these dreams with absolute clarity as if he himself had actually experienced them. What was frightening, however, was the fact that the spells that he was learning in these dreams were usable. He had already tried the Patefacio charm already on a window on a whim and it worked perfectly.

"That it would," Harry agreed, getting up though part of him wondered how the prince would react to his presence. In addition to his memory dreams, he also dreamt of Snape and all the things he wanted to do should he allow his animal instincts act as they desired. Things that probably could be pleasant for both of them had circumstances between them had been different.

All he could do now is hope and wait.

_cwn_

The full Order was in the kitchen deep in conversation when a grim Albus Dumbledore finally arrived through the floo that evening with Mad-Eye Moody trailing. Normally any meeting the night before the start of the Hogwarts school year would have been delayed until the weekend following September first but this case was an exception that had Molly Weasley finding more creative ways of keeping the children there out of the way.

"We have two things that need to be addressed," Dumbledore informed them as Molly pushed a cup of tea into both of their hands. "The first thing that needs to be dealt with is that the blood-wards around Number 4 Privet Drive has fallen-"

Sirius exploded as several others also protested, "WHAT! Where's Harry?"

"No one knows for certain," Moody told them. "Supposedly the last ones to see the boy were his Muggle family. After that he vanished into thin air."

"Did HE have something to do with it?" Sirius demanded, leaving those listening with little doubt as to whom the animagus meant.

"Unfortunately, there has been no signs of Death Eater activity anywhere near Little Whinging although we did register an energy spike outside Surrey early this morning which proved to be nothing," Kingsley Shacklebolt picked up then where his companion left off, "There seems to be no foul play regarding Potter's disappearance nor even any indication that the Dursleys themselves were involved. Potter may have left the safety of his relatives' home under his own free will."

Sturgis Podmore asked then, "What can be done then? It's not like we can drag the boy home even if we do manage to find him. The Ministry's law won't even allow us to approach him."

"He's in danger!" Sirius growled at him in anger, "Or don't you even want Harry found?" Lupin grabbed his arm to halt any further actions and ignored the glare that followed.

"We can at least keep an eye on him," Dumbledore said, halting the argument in progress. "We will check the Muggle World for him first before searching the Wizarding Community."

"You think that Harry has broken the terms of his banishment?" McGonagall asked, outraged that her employer would suggest such a thing. If Harry Potter was found anywhere in the Wizarding World following his banishment, he would instantly be given the Dementor's Kiss.

"I really don't know what to think," Dumbledore sighed. There was a moment of silence before the old wizard once again spoke, "This morning during lunch, Sybil Trelawney gave another prophecy. It reads as the following:

_"Child of Wood, Son of Fire, Daughter of Earth, Father of Sky, _  
_Child of Sea, Mother of Ice, Daughter of Truth, Master of Lies,_  
_Seven shall bind together; eight shall hide deep inside, _  
_Nine shall heed their lessons hence all shall die…_  
_Ten will remain hopeful; eleven will remain true, _  
_Twelve will be the final count unless decided by you…"_

"What do you think it means?" McGonagall asked hesitantly.

"Is that thing even legit?" Mundungus Fletcher asked warily.

"From all reports we've been hearing," Dumbledore said warily, "it is. Alas, it may prove be difficult to decipher. I am most curious as to whom this Daughter of Truth is."

"What do you mean?" Shacklebolt inquired.

"Because it would seem that she is the Champion of Light named by this prophecy," Dumbledore answered.

"Could be a seer though too," Hestia Jones pointed out but was quickly shot down.

"No," Dumbledore had said, "as she was listed right before what is obviously the main Champion of the Dark, it could only be her. That would probably mean that the first six are her companions."

"Are you sure about that?" Dedalus Diggle protested. "The rest of the numbers mentioned don't add up!"

"The other lines might be talking about their allies then," Lupin reminded them grimly, "because what I'm hearing sounds awfully like a traitor in the midst of this mess."

"And more than one, too!" Sirius agreed.

"But there is no way of knowing whose side the traitors could be on," Molly argued, having several others agree with her, "and twelve dying is something no one should be looking forward to."

"Unless most of them are from those nine," Moody muttered under his breath, though his comment was heard by everyone in the room.

"So who is this Master of Lies then?" Sturgis asked the question everyone wanted to know.

"Off hand," Dumbledore answered, "I'd say He-Who-Must-Not -Be-Named as there is a direct reference to his Death Eaters."

"On what grounds?" Moody argued angrily.

"The line that said eleven will remain true," Dumbledore recited. "The Death Eater's Inner Circle is thirteen, and they just lost two of their members recently."

"Snape and Karkaroff," Sirius agreed bitterly, "So that's two of the traitors, but what about the rest? And where does Harry fit in all of this?"

"He's probably the Son of Fire mentioned as that is a very obvious reference to Gryffindor," Dumbledore stated. "The references to Sky, Sea and Earth may very well indicate the other three Houses as well. The reference to Wood obviously pertains to young Oliver, but I am at a loss for the Mother of Ice."

Tonks argued, "Headmaster, a Daughter of Earth can also refer to a Muggle."

"Or a Muggle-born," Lupin understood what she was saying. "Hermione."

"What about my Ron then?" Molly asked. "Does something happen to him? Harry and Hermione would not just leave him behind."

"No," Bill reassures her, "He's there also but I'm thinking that he's the Son of Fire instead. The reference to the Sky fits Harry much better."

"That's not possible!" Molly argued, "The reference to Father of Sky clearly indicated an older man!"

"It takes little to father a child," Fleur reminded her, shutting up all arguments, "and Sky iz such a cute name."

Emmeline Vance then asked the question everyone was thinking, "So just how far in the future is this prophecy anyway?"

No one had an answer for that.

_cwn _

Five children quietly sat on the stairs shocked by what they overheard. The knowledge that there was a prophecy surrounding their friend had paled to the knowledge that he was also missing. That night, Hermione sent an owl out.

She was not aware that another owl had also been sent.

_cwn _

Snape was awake when Harry ventured in the room that afternoon but the man was deep in conversation with Arawn to pay the boy much attention. In fact, the two Fae did not even realize that they were no longer until Snape felt the dip on his sick bed and saw him sitting there waiting to be acknowledged.

"Potter?" Snape inquired, barely recognizing his student. Physically there was no difference in appearance since the last time Snape had seen him, but regardless of his wishes, the changes he felt were too obvious. "What he is doing here? Don't tell me the little twit managed to get himself killed…"

The Faerie king merely chuckled and said, "No, nothing like that. I merely sent for him. You have brought it then?"

"Here, my lord," Harry said quietly watching Snape's eyes open wide as he recognized the object the teen held.

"Where did you get this?" Snape demanded as the strangely submissive boy handed him his soul-stone without as much as a glare.

"One of the house-elves that rescued you brought it to me," Harry confessed, looking to the silver haired king as if waiting for further instructions.

"Why him?" Snape inquired looking to Arawn for answers, "Why not someone more qualified to handle a soul-stone?"

"Like what?" Arawn asked, "A servant perhaps? A magi or maybe even a healer?"

"Yes!" Snape agreed, frustrated. The boy's green eyes seemed all too wise under the dim firelight and it was starting to unnerve him.

"Then you are in luck," the king commented, dark eyes seemingly twinkling as if hiding some amusing little secret, "this Wybir pup here is all three though his training isn't complete yet. His present keeper dubbed him Spéir and he is of purifier stock. This pup is to be passed on to you when you came of age."

Snape gave him a disbelieving look as Arawn continued, "Go on. Give your new pet a name."

"Uncle, no," Snape knew better to argue with the man but did so anyway, "You can't ask that of me. Not with this one."

"All right then," Arawn seemed to ignore the protest as he came to a decision because he rose from his seat at his nephew's bedside. "I'll just leave you both to get reacquainted. I expect a name when I return."

"Just great- another flea-bitten…," Snape waited until the man was gone before addressing the teen he despised. "Tell me, boy, when were you turned?"

"Turned, sir?" the teen asked.

Snape snarled, "No human is ever born a Cŵn Wybir. So, Potter, I ask again and this time I expect an answer. When did you make the transformation from boy to hound?"

"I've always been one," was the quiet reply.

Snape was about to argue that then understanding came like a lightning bolt. Several breeds of hellhound, Cŵn Wybir included, were created from the souls of dead children. That meant that there was a chance that the teen would not remember the transformation if he had died young enough, such as the incident fourteen years ago that had cost the Potters had lost their lives.

He chuckled at the irony. The prophecy of Trelawney's that Dumbledore and Voldemort both nurtured had to be false. There was no known way for a mortal wizard to kill one of the Underworld's hunting dogs, even a puppy like the boy sitting on the bed besides him. Taking the Dark Lord down would be just another day of training for Potter. The rest of his pack probably wouldn't even be needed.

He then concentrated on the rest of the information his uncle had given him. "Purifier stock, huh? That makes sense…" The knowledge was not very surprising as both of the boy's parents were magical, but it also mean that his supposed pet's innate talents lay more in defense rather than aggression. Being labeled as 'Purifier' also meant that Potter possessed a large reserve of dormant energy and would be a natural in the healing arts, and if he remembered about purifiers correctly, a well-timed burst of that power could unravel or even dissolve any spell in mere seconds. Arawn was correct about one thing though; he couldn't keep calling the teen 'boy' or even 'Potter'. This particular Potter had died long before he had ever made it to Hogwarts and he had been too stubborn to recognize that, even though he could place partial blame on the seal that dulled his senses.

When the boy died was another story that he intended to find out as soon as he was able. For now, he had other things to consider.

"Change, Potter," he demanded. "Let me see what it is exactly that I have been given." He still did not like that he was now bound to the Potter spawn but he supposed it could have been worse. He could have been the new owner of Prongs or, heaven forbid, Padfoot. He would happily take the boy over either animagus.

The boy's transformation from human to canine was relatively slow in comparison to the animagus transformation but Snape had the feeling that it was intentional. He supposed that the boy wanted him to see every step of the change but he had no clue as to why. The transformation started with the child's eyes shining a killing green as the color bleached from the rest of his body to a silvery white. For an instant, Snape could have sworn that he had witnessed the presence of soft feathered wings of the same color on the human form but given how quickly they disappeared concluded it may have just been a trick of the light. As this happened, Harry's body slowly began to age from fifteen to about twenty before the human traits merged into the canine ones that appeared. Teeth, nails, ears and snout began to lengthen as fingers and toes merged into paws, the already narrow hips and slimmed down further and the only article of clothing worn slid off to reveal the beginning of a long narrow tail.

Moments later Snape found himself staring at a fairly small greyhound shaped being of a ghostly bluish hue brindled with frost along the back and sides. Delicate hints of red on each ear revealed that while one of the three Cŵn breeds, Harry did not yet possess the coat of a mature adult. The only part that remained unchanged from Harry's human form was the intense green eyes that remained focused solely on him. Hellhounds were said to be as smart as their human counterparts so he was not surprised to see it in the half-grown dog sitting besides him.

"A puppy indeed," Snape said in bemusement as he gave into the urge to touch what sat next to him. The warm down-like fur against his palm felt almost like a second skin but it was the small shock he received that caught and held his attention. Ignoring the antics of the Wybir whom was blissfully leaning into his touch, Snape thought on the implications of feeling his own magic mixed in with Harry's meant.

Obviously the magical bond between pet and master had gotten stronger during the time the boy had safe-guarded his soul-stone but there was something else that he could not place that seemed to be hastening it along. That mystery would require more thought.

When Arawn entered a couple hours later he would find his nephew lost in thought with the young Wybir dozing across his lap. The Fae king of the Underworld took this in with a slight smile on his face as Snape sat up in complete attention. Ignoring his nephew's hastened greetings and the raising of the pup's head, Arawn asked the expected question.

"Have you decided on a name?"

"I have," was the response. "His name from this day on is Madra."

**i**

**i**

**i**

**Translations**

**Leigheas-** healer (gaelic)  
**Cenau-** puppy (welsh)  
**Spéir-** sky (gaelic)  
**Madra-** dog (gaelic)  
**Dáiríre- **serious (Gaelic)  
**Marthanóir-** survivor (Gaelic)  
**Taoiseach- **chief (gaelic)  
**Cŵn-** dogs (welsh)  
**Gwynnwy-** white (welsh)

**!**

**Notes**

**Tuatha dé Danaan-** _"People of the Goddess Danu"_ Depicted as one of the origins of the Sidhe, the Tuatha dé Danaan were said to be a nomad people neither human nor god that arrived in Ireland on Beltane after migrating from the Greek isles. They brought with them four magical artifacts and became the first rulers of Ireland after Nemed, but their rule was ended by the Milesian Celts and they vanished. Some claim that they were driven underground or into the lakes of Scotland, Ireland and Wales to become Sidhe while others claimed that they returned to the sea never to return.  
**Danu-** the Celtic River Goddess and mother of the Tuatha dé Danaan, she is also the daughter of the Dagda (a Celtic god that became a fairy king). The Danube in one of several rivers bears her name. Danu is also associated with Anu (an earth and fertility goddess), Black Annis (a cruel winter/storm hag) and Aine (the Irish moon goddess).  
**Sidhe- **Also known as Shee, Sí, and Síth, they are the fairies of Gaelic myth. The word sidhe means "hill, burial mound or earth barrow" but is associated with the Tuatha dé Danaan that were driven into the earth by the conquering Milesian Celts. The term itself actually refers to anything supernatural: such as Old Gods, fairies, spirits and even witches/wizards. The Shee (the fay) are described to be very tall, thin, young and beautiful in appearance with long flowing hair and wearing white clothing. They are also known to be rather malicious to humans that either break their taboos or trespass on their lands. They are also known for stealing away pretty girls to become fairy brides or kidnapping young children and replacing them with changelings. They gained the name of "trooping fairy" as they are frequently spotted in masses on the move on the days of Beltane (aka May Day) and Samhain (aka Halloween).  
**Seelie/Unseelie Courts-** The aristocratic trooping fairies of Scottish legend, the Seelie are also known as the benevolent _"Blessed Court"_ while the Unseelie are known as the malicious _"Unblessed or Uncanny Court"_. The Unseelie are also said to be the souls of the walking dead, as both the Seelie and Unseelie have been seen marching through the countryside by humans.  
**Annwn-** Ruled by Arawn, Annwn is a fairy realm and world of the dead in Brythonic Celtic myth. It said that in Annwn is a place of ancestral power and knowledge that mortals may access where the wine flows in fountains like water and age and illness are unknown. Annwn is also one of the Faerie realms where the access point is located in the water rather than a burial mound.  
**Arawn- **A Welsh god of the Underworld that is also said to be the king of faeries, he is also one of the known participants of the Wild Hunt. The changing of the seasons is also said to have resulted from the time he willing spent pretending to be the human king, Pwyll, while Pwyll pretended to be him. Arawn is interchangeable with Gwyn ap Nudd, his counterpart in southern Wales.  
**Gwragedd Annwn-** _"Wives of the Underworld"_ They are fairy maidens that dwell underneath the lakes of the Black Mountains of Wales. Believed to originally be human women that had been cursed by Saint Patrick into fairies for berating him for abandoning Ireland, they are known to be extremely beautiful and will sometimes come ashore to marry with human men bringing herds of fairy cattle along as dowries. However, if they are ever struck or touched with iron, they will return to their lakes taking their dowries with them. Several Welsh families claim to be of Gwragedd Annwn blood. The Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend is also believed to be one of the Gwragedd Annwn.


	4. Chapter 3: Settling In

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Thank you, Crapounette, for correcting my poor attempt at French… hehe**

**Here's chapter three- along with the much awaited notes on hellhounds (at the end)…**

**i**

**i**

**i  
**

Chapter 3

Ron groaned as he sank into his normal spot at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for lunch. He had just spent every free moment with his nose in a book trying to appease Hermione's obsessive hunt for knowledge on anything and everything even remotely fairy related which had began shortly after spying that strange blue stone of Harry's a month ago. The youngest Weasley son had vocally drawn the line at missing meals when Hermione suggested missing breakfast that first evening back at Hogwarts to search the library for information so was not surprised when she sat down next to him with her nose already in a book on Merlin knows what, already to leave. As he already helped her go through every book in the Grimmauld Place library, Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley, and the dozen or so Muggles books that Hermione had owled her parents for, he began dreading their first visit to Hogsmeade as she was already talking about visiting Tomes and Scholls for even more books. The only thing Ron had learned (other than confirming Hermione's apparent insanity) was that Fae in general were confusing.

The Fae seemed to be of multiple types that didn't seem to follow any one shape and could look like a beast or plant for one minute and a person in another, and no one could agree on whether they were a ghost, creature, or something entirely different. The only thing that their research could agree upon was that the Fae were closely associated death and were believed to be the descendants or creations of the Gods of Old, and that the underground Faerie Realms was on a different time frame than either the Wizarding or Muggle Worlds. That meant that mere seconds wherever Harry was could be minutes, hours, days or even years where his loved ones were. The Muggle books of Hermione also associated them with 'moral sin' (whatever that meant), children's bedtime stories, and fiction.

Ron took great pleasure in informing Hermione that those references to the Elder Gods were actually references to the Greater Elementals of Wizard Lore, where they were known best by the half and Muggle bloods as 'magic'. It felt good to finally know something that brainy Hermione Granger did not. His words had created from her yet another search for information, one that he was glad that he didn't need to take any part in.

It wouldn't surprise him to discover that Hermione's newest book was about elementals, magic or both. After the last three weeks, he was actually expecting it to be.

The only reason he didn't protest even more about studying was that it kept him from thinking about how much he missed his best mate. Harry seemed to be the glue that had been keeping both Ron and Hermione from flying apart and had gone to a place where neither of his friends could go or help. The stupid Ministry wouldn't even let them send him a letter. Normally he would have vented his frustrations out on his slimy Slytherin peers, those Death Eaters-in-training in particular, but all it took was a look at the snakes' table to halt that train of thought.

Draco Malfoy never arrived at Hogwarts, in fact as far as anyone knew; he was never on the Hogwarts Express either. Those first couple days Ron had been glad that the blond prat was gone figuring that he had probably just transferred to Durmstrang like he wanted, but a couple days ago a furious Lucius Malfoy had arrived demanding to speak with the Headmaster. The red-head didn't think anything of the arrogant man's presence there at the time until yesterday's Daily Prophet came out with an article stating that Draco Malfoy and his mother had been kidnapped and that any clue concerning their whereabouts would be appreciated.

Ron was certain the Malfoy patriarch was just acting. It was a known fact that Lucius Malfoy was the depiction of pure evil, and that their safety was the last thing on his mind. He found it hard enough to feel sympathy for the sorry git caught in the middle yet at the same time he was pleased that someone else would dare to defy an illustrious Malfoy.

But it still left the question of where the two missing Malfoys were at what part they played in. Hermione could probably figure that out if he could ever drag her out of her books.

Malfoy's disappearance and Hermione's constant distraction weren't the only thing to irritate him as he turned his glare on the two newest professors at the Head Table. He never thought that he would ever miss Snape until now. Cincinnatus Morgan, Snape's replacement as Potions Professor, resembled what could describe as a scarecrow with those orange robes, sandy curls and lanky built. Their first day also proved that Morgan not only was as skilled as Neville Longbottom when it came to potion making but was as incompetent as Lockhart as a teacher. The Potions classroom had also been moved out of the Dungeons after the first day of class, creating unheard protests from Hermione and the Slytherins and glee from the rest of Gryffindor. That move was also the reason why there was now a large hole in the fourth and fifth floors where the classroom use to be and why Morgan's students were taking classes in another class on the second floor where they did not nothing but read even more books. As the majority of the Hogwarts students and a good portion of the staff were now terrified of what the imbecile might do next, they were very glad for this new study hall.

Ron was just relieved that no one had been killed in that explosion, although he heard about the nightmares that the first year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs were still experiencing from that day. They were probably put off Potions for life and he couldn't blame them one bit.

Morgan's obvious associate was even worst. The pink toad thing that was their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor (although Hermione insisted that it was a witch) had managed to do the impossible and oust Snape from the position of Most Despised Hogwarts Professor in the history of the school. It wasn't enough that the new Professor was Ministry lackey and badmouthed Harry whenever possible, she also refused to teach them anything and handed out detentions for the slightest offense, even imaginary ones. Those detentions involved a cursed quill that over the last eight days Ron had grown to be quite familiar with, but with the Ministry involved and throwing their weight around, none of the Professors could do anything.

He didn't think it would be much longer now before the Headmaster was removed from office and one Dolores Umbridge declared herself as the headmistress of Hogwarts.

"Mate," Ron whispered, "just where the bloody hell are you?"

_cwn _

Bill arrived at Grimmauld Place with several bags of Sickles, Knuts and Galleons and proceeded to dropped them on the kitchen table gaining the attention of the members of the Order that were already there.

"Bill?" His father inquired as Moody looked at them both suspiciously. The only other ones in the house were Dumbledore, Sirius and Molly whom were brought by the loud sound. "What is all this?"

"It's as much as I could take on such short notice," Bill sighed, "Gringotts is closing their doors to business first thing tomorrow."

"What?" Molly asked, "Why? For how long?"

Bill sighed and said, "The goblins are subject to the whims of the Sidhe Councils whom have gathered for a meeting. While those councils are in session, all magical businesses are closed."

Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "I don't recall hearing anything about such a meeting. Did they happen to say what it was about?"

"You didn't hear about it because the Wizarding World wasn't invited," Bill told him grimly.

As the Weasley couple gasped in disbelief, Moody demanded, "Don't be stupid, boy. What could they possibly want that doesn't concern us?"

"No one said it didn't," Bill retorts. "Offenders are never invited to those meetings."

"Offenders?" Sirius protested, confused before noticing the angry look of Moody's and grim look of Dumbledore's. "What are you talking about?"

Bill told them, "The Wizarding Community is under violation for repeated breakings of the Inter-Creature Relation treaties, as well as unauthorized suppression of intelligent beings."

Dumbledore sighed and said, "Molly, would you please floo Remus for me. I have a new mission for him."

"Yes, of course, Albus," the Weasley matriarch left.

"You're sending Moony to spy on the Sidhe Council?" Sirius inquired, bewildered.

"No," Dumbledore shook his head, "I wish for him to speak on our behalf at the Council. As a were-wolf, he is able to attend."

"What does it matter?" Moody inquired, irritated, "It's not like they have much impact on us anyhow. Let them have their little gathering. It won't matter in the end."

"You don't seem surprised," Bill noted Dumbledore's slumped form in the chair.

"I have been expecting it ever since the regulations and restrictions on the movements of Dark Creatures started passing recently with such vigor," Dumbledore answered. "I just wasn't expecting them to act so soon. They're usually more patient than this. Something must have happened."

Sirius and Arthur gave one another a concerned look before Arthur asked the question on both of their minds, "Do you think this might have something to do with Harry?"

"With Harry, no," Dumbledore shook his head, saddened by the loss of the boy. "I fear that if this involving any of us, it would be Severus instead."

"Snape?" Sirius protested, outraged, "What does Snivellus have to do with this?" he proceeded to cower after the two Weasleys and Dumbledore glared at him for using the insulting nickname. "Sorry…"

"Like Remus, Severus wasn't fully human," Dumbledore told them then, gaining their complete attention. "He possessed Sidhe blood."

"Then Harry is involved," Bill grimly told them.

"WHAT!?" Sirius bellowed as Arthur looked at his son for answers, "Are you certain?"

"Harry knew where Snape was," Bill told them.

"How do you know that?" Sirius demanded. "My godson wouldn't have anything to do with that- that Death Eater!"

Bill looked at Dumbledore and said softly, "Before he left here after the sentencing, he had in his possession a blue elf-stone that he said belonged to Snape. The stone is also missing."

"Was it glowing when you saw it?" Dumbledore demanded.

"It was," he agreed thoughtfully, missing Dumbledore the sigh of relief. The oath he gave Harry wouldn't allow him to say anything about their conversation, but it didn't include his opinions about it.

"What exactly does that mean?" Moody said, looking back and forth between the red-head and old wizard for clarification. Arthur and Sirius were also looking at the pair for answers. "What the heck is an elf-stone?"

"A rare form of Elf magic," Dumbledore answered. "Harry must have used the stone to track back to its creator. They may even be hiding together as we speak."

"Are you saying that Harry's with the elves now?" Sirius asked, skeptically.

"I thought the terms of Potter's banishment forbid him all contact from the Magical World so what in the world is he doing that for?" Moody said angrily.

"The banishment forbid him all contact with the Wizarding World," Dumbledore said sadly. "It never said anything about the Faerie Realms."

Sirius laughed, delighted, "So our little Prongslet found a loophole?!"

"Or Severus gave him one," Lupin said from the doorway. "Albus, you sent for me?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said and Bill took this as the go ahead to leave them to their conversations.

"What will you do?" A soft voice from the halls drew Bill's attention and he ventured out to find Fleur standing there in the shadows with the resident house-elf.

"You overheard us?" Bill asked of the young French woman he coming to love, "What do you suggest?"

"Oui," Fleur agreed. "'Harry and the Professor are better off in ze homeland. It would be wrong to force 'em to come back."

"You think they would be happier there than here?" Bill asked, curious.

Kreacher answered for her surprising the eldest Weasley son with his manner of speech, "Neither Leigheas or the young Prince belonged in the Mortal World. They should have gone back a long time ago."

"Leigheas? Prince? What do you mean?" Bill asked, confused.

"Harry's of Fae-blood too," Fleur told him. "Didn't you know?"

"Actually, no, I didn't," Bill began to curse. His previous conversation with Harry made a lot more sense now that he knew. "That changes everything. Tell me, can either of you get in touch with Harry or Snape?"

Kreacher snorts in scorn, taking the question as an insult as Fleur answered, "But of course. Why though?"

"I need you to send them a message," Bill said. "Let them know that they are about to get some company."

"You think zey vill force them to leave?" Fleur inquired, concerned.

"I'm not sure what they'll do," Bill admitted, "I do know that the headmaster is planning to send Lupin to negotiate with the Council though and with Harry and Snape both involved, Sirius will also insist on going."

"This is not good," Fleur understood. "He could cause a lot of trouble yes?" The fact that Kreacher never had much faith in his present master was obvious from the way he was cursing the man under his breath. "We will send the message immediately."

"Thank you," Bill said relived, then out of curiosity asked, "You know what sort of Fae Harry is then?"

"Oui," Fleur answered, "He is une ange de la mort, un attrapeur d'âme. Or rather, chien de chasse des Royaumes Abandonnés. I believe in English, you would call him a Dog of Hell, yes?"

Bill knew enough French to know that 'mort' meant 'death' but the rest of that meant nothing to him, at least not until Fleur's final words. Now he had something else to think about as he went on his way.

"What do you think they were talking about?" Sirius asked Lupin from where they stood in the kitchen doorway. The conversation in the kitchen had already turned to other matters.

Lupin had heard the conversation clearly and was stunned by Fleur's revelation. He managed to answer without giving away any of his shock. "Don't worry about it, Padfoot."

"But Moony?" Sirius protested.

Lupin wasn't ready to continue this conversation so he decided to change the subject, "I've been hearing rumors that our stray cub is a canine animagus. I think we might need to find another name for him. Prongslet is no longer going to work, you know."

As he expected, Sirius' face lit up at the knowledge and he promptly began giving suggestions for a new nickname for Harry. Hopefully that would keep his friend quiet long enough for Lupin to have that conversation he intended to have with Harry the next time they met.

_cwn _

The days following Snape's regaining consciousness were harder on Harry than he would have liked as while his strange dreams had also lessened somewhat since returning the soul-stone to Snape but had not entirely stopped. They just started manifesting in another way as his libido repeatedly reminded him. Snape had noticed this particular distraction of his almost immediately and even found it amusing. After an extremely vivid dream two nights later had the half-asleep Wybir dry-humping his master's leg, neither one of them found quite as funny. Snape even had gone as far as saying if Harry woke him up like that again that he would be gelded, amusing Harry's pack-mates as well as Cneasaigh and Arawn when they heard it. Harry merely shrugged it off as the bound to his asgre asserting itself and returned to his pack mates as he did every morning.

Gwynnwy and the Wybir chief, Taoiseach, had informed him upon arrival that from Lammas to Yule the hellhound packs would merge in Ælwyd for the athletic training and competitions for the adults once the Council meetings began. Training with the hellhound packs' puppies was a bit different from his time in the human schools as the pups were dividing into groups based on purpose rather than age. Harry didn't even think that he saw as much diversity amongst the ranks at Hogwarts but he was told that eight of the world's hellhound packs were already there and the rest would be arriving soon. Harry wasn't sure which part of the world most of the others came from, but they were training like him to be good hunting or guard dogs for the Dark or Blessed Courts though the Ratchets and the Surma would be returning to Heaven or Hell upon completing their training instead.

Before Hogwarts, Harry had learned to control both his human and canine bodies through the House-elves that were frequently in his presence and later through his dreams. It had taken even longer to control the instincts that had come with his new body. During his third year, his Wybir instincts had seen the wolf in Lupin as a threat to his ma- his Severus- which left their one-on-one meetings strained although the instinctive rivalry eased over the last few months. He had not known enough at that point in time to distinguish between a werewolf and a Wizarding animagus but learning that his godfather's animagus form from the start somehow managed to avoid the same problems he had shared with Lupin. Lupin and Sirius might not have noticed their similar reactions to the scion of their friend, but instinctively both Moony and Padfoot had and welcomed it.

But as Fudge and his cronies had banished him from the Wizarding Community and Hogwarts, the chances that he would ever see them again were next to nothing. A small part of Harry wondered if his friends and adopted family knew that he was no longer at the Dursleys and another part was debating that if they did, would they even care.

Osseo, his training partner for this particular relay exercise, still gave him the willies despite his friendly nature. From what Harry understood, his living skeleton companion (called a Xolotl) was native to South America. Still, the Wybir and the crypt dog were keeping in time with the rest of their companions in the relays despite his distractions as a secret part of him wondered just how long the "bone-dog" would survive amongst their mortal canine counterparts. He did find that the Xolotl was no more strange than some of the other hellhound breeds, like than the headless Tchicos or the one-eyed Shucks, that ran the relays nearby. His experience with Fluffy in his first year at Hogwarts made him immune to the presence of the other two and three-headed Argos hounds that ran with them although he was careful around them. Even half-grown, those pups were the size of a small horse or pony.

A grown black greyhound with red ears that Harry recognized as one of the Cŵn Bendith eu Mannau proceeded to appear in front of Harry, forcing him to stop or to run into the older male. Osseo also stopped and looked at them both confused as the Mannau turned his attention to Harry.

"Sir?" Harry weakly inclined, ducking his head in respect. The Mannau tended to be the most vicious of the three Cŵn breeds and Harry had no intention in starting a fight with this one.

"Madra," the Mannau said coldly, "the masters want you in the gorweddfa cellau chan 'r arglwyddi. It's the young Lord-" Harry started cursing, moving towards Snape's bedroom before the Mannau had finished speaking.

Being called to the still very ill iompróir's sickroom now could only mean trouble.

_cwn _

Narcissa sighed after hearing the house-elf's report from Number Twelve Grimmauld Place where her cousin Sirius Black was presently staying. Naturally she would have to pass the information on to her husband to give to his master, not that she intended to tell him everything.

Lucius didn't need to know about Harry Potter or Severus Snape's descent into the Faerie Realms by virtue of Blood Right or that the Savior of the World was a hellhound. This was not the first thing she withheld information from him but having him discover how much more she knew would be sealing the final nail in her own coffin and she needed her own freedom at the moment.

There were things she needed to do first and Kreacher's prompt arrival gave her the chance to execute one of them.

"You will be the one delivering the Veela girl's message, I take it then," Narcissa asked the house-elf and gained a very enthusiastic head-bob as a reply. "Good. When you leave, I want you to take my dear Dragon with you and leave him with his godfather. I need him to stay safe."

"But, Madam Black, you can't!" Kreacher protested, "You will be punished!"

"I'm counting on it actually," she said smugly, "and soon my husband's associates will discover my part in Severus' escape. I wish to be gone by then."

Kreacher grinned in sudden understanding, "You intend to evoke the 'Lady's Right'?" The Lady's Right was a Fairy Wife's Law that states that any woman of Fae descent that has been struck by any man for any reason has the right to leave and all prior arrangements made before the strike are terminated between the two parties.

"Of course," Narcissa said smoothly, "and if that foolish cousin of mine can gain admittance into the Faerie Realms, then my son should be allowed to as well. The Gwragedd Annwn blood of the Black family has always flowed strongest in its women."

"And in you the most of all," Kreacher agreed. "Only you, my lady, of all the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black bear the blonde hair of your Sidhe ancestor."

"Take my son to Severus," Narcissa commanded.

"At once, my lady," Kreacher nodded then disappeared.

i

i

**Translations**  
**Cŵn- dogs (welsh)**  
**Oui- yes (French)**  
**une ange de la mort- angel of death (French)**  
**un attrapeur d'âme- spirit/soul catcher (french) **  
**chien de chasse des Royaumes Abandonnés- shooting hound from the Forsaken Kingdoms (french) **  
**Patefacio- open (Latin)- spell**  
**Dáiríre- serious (gaelic)**  
**Cneasaigh- healer (gaelic)**  
**Primas- chief (welsh)**  
**Osseo- bone (Brazilian Portuguese)**  
**Iompróir- bearer/carrier (gaelic)**  
**Asgre- heart (welsh)**  
**Ælwyd- home (welsh)**  
**Gorweddfa cellau chan 'r arglwyddi- beloved's bed chambers (welsh)**

**i  
**

**Notes **  
**Wild Hunt-** The Wild Hunt has been known throughout Britain and Europe as a host of supernatural hunters and hounds enter the Mortal world after supernatural bounty (usually fairy hinds or other animals, damned souls or on occasion even women). A hunt itself can been seen as a omen of death as mortal witnesses are usually doomed to die. Known participants of the Wild Hunt are Charlemagne, King Arthur, the goddess Hecate (and other goddesses of the hunt), Odin, Herne the Huntsman, a company of hags, and even the Devil. Each region also has its own version of the Wild Huntsman, which is usually a ruler of the dead. Storms are usually indication of a hunt in process as the dogs and hunters will ride the storm clouds.  
**Hellhounds- **The general term for any supernatural canine (anywhere the world) that has the job of guarding or herding the souls of the dead. The majority of hellhound sightings originate from England where there are at least 40 known sightings.  
The list below is all the hellhounds I found in my research (and not just appear in the story) although there are a couple more not mentioned because they closely resemble the hounds already listed. All the dogs listed below are black in appearance and are the size of a wolf unless stated otherwise:

**Akhlut** category- wolf spirit origin- Inuit nature- vicious/dangerous description- takes the form of an wolf or orca  
**Argos (Orthus/Cerberus/Keroberus) **category- Chimera/Cerberus origin- Greek nature- description- large multi-headed dog (up to 50 heads- usually 2 or 3) with a lion's mane of live snakes & a dragon's tail that guards the gates of the Hades (afterlife) to prevent escape  
**Barguest (barghest/bargtjest/bo-guest/bargest)** category- demon/shape-shifter/earth spirit origin- English nature- loner/death bringer description- large bear-like black dog with horns, huge teeth & claws, huge fiery saucer eyes, a shaggy coat & dragging clanking chains behind it  
**Black Shag (Black Shug)** category- spirit origin- English nature- benevolent description- fearsome appearing black dog that protects traveling women  
**Black Shuck (Old Shuck/Scucca/Doom Dog)** category- demon/cyclops origin- England/East Anglia/Norfolk, Essex & Suffolk coastlines nature- evil description- large black dog (up to the size of a horse) with malevolent flaming eyes of red or green, sometimes seen as a cyclops or even headless with eyes suspended in front of it  
**Cadejo **category- spirits origin- Mexico/Latin America nature- ying/yan description- a shaggy, large (up to the size of a cow) black dog that can cause madness or death &/or benevolent & helpful white dog with burning red eyes and goat's hooves that appears at night to travelers  
**Church Grims (grim/kyrkogrim/Kirkogrim)** category- shape shifter/ghost origin- English/Yorkshire nature- warning/loner description- black dog that appears at night only at churches & funerals  
**Cu Síth (Cusíth)** category- fairy hound origin- Scotland/Ireland nature- pack beast (wild hunt) description- large dark green dogs with shaggy fur with a long braided or curled tail the size of a cow or large calf feared as harbingers of death that would bear away a person's soul to the afterlife  
**Dandy Hounds (Dando's hounds/Dandy Dogs)** category- ghost/cursed origin- Cornish nature- pack beast (wild hunt) description- black dogs that breathe fire & have terrible cries  
**Dartmoor Hounds (Wisht Hounds/Wish hounds/Wist Hounds) **category- cursed/ghost origin- English nature- pack beast (wild hunt)/evil description- black dog that runs through the sky hunting human souls, said to guard Cabell's grave  
**Dip **category- vampire/demon origin- Catalan/Spain nature- evil description- black hairy dog of the Devil that sucks on human blood that's lame in one leg  
**Dire-Wolves (Waheela/Kerit/Shunka Warakin/Amarok) **category- Cryptozoology origin- Native American/Nahanni Valley, Canada nature- loner description- large dog resembling a bear, hyena or wolf that carries off dogs & kills sheep by flocks, hunts night travelers  
**Dobhar-chú (Dobhar-chu/Dobarcu/Doyarchu/Dhuragoo) **category- Cryptozoology origin- Irish/Glenade Stone, Ireland nature- description- otter, half-dog, half fish that lives in the water with protective fur with either short white fur & otter like features or black/dark brown cross-like mark running down its neck & back  
**Freybugs** category- phantom origin- Norway/Medievil England nature- description- supernatural black dogs roughly the size of a calf  
**Gabble Retchets (Gabriel Hounds/Gabriel's Hounds/Gabriel Ratchets/Ratchets/Retchets) **category- ghost/cursed origin- England/Durham nature- pack beast (wild hunt)/death bringer description- black flying dogs of the Archangel Gabriel cursed for hunting on the Sabbath used in hunt the damned until Doomsday  
**Gaueko (Lord of Black Magic) **category- origin- Basque nature- description- large black wolfhound that sometimes walks upright  
**Gurt Dogs** category- spirit origin- Somerset/England nature- benevolent/loner description- black dogs that protects travelers  
**Gwyllgi (Black Hound of Destiny/Dog of Darkness)** category- phantom origin- Welsh/Pant-y Madog, Pembrokeshire nature- evil description- black dog with baleful breath & blazing red eyes  
**Inugami** category- ghost/demon/familiar origin- Oriental nature- guard/benevolent description- powerful, independent dogs able to possess & heal their owners/creators  
**Keelut **category- earth spirit origin- Inuit nature- evil description- hairless dog  
**Moddy Dhoo (Mauthe Dhoog)** category- spirit origin- Isle of Man/Peel Castle nature- loner/death bringer description- invisible black dog whose if seen will kill whomever sees at its visible form  
**Perro Negro (nahaul/huay chivo/huay pek/uay/way/waay/chivo/pek/familiar/lobisón) **category- shape-shifter origin- Central & Latin America/Argentina/Mexico nature- evil/loner description- black dogs with fiery eyes believed incarnations of the Devil  
**Pesanta** category- origin- Catalan nature- description- enormous black, hairy dog/cat with steel paws with holes that sneaks into houses & causes nightmare & breathing problems  
**Qiqirn** category- dog spirit origin- Inuit nature- description- large, bald, foolish, frightening, skittish, cowardly dog with hair on its feet, ears, mouth & tail tip that cause fits when approached & runs when name is called  
**Surma** category- Cerberus/chimera origin- Finnish nature- description- large dog with a snake tail that's stare can turn one to stone, embodies sudden violent deaths & guards the gates of the underworld to prevent escapes  
**Tchico (Tchi-coh/Bodu/tchen Bodu/Le Tchan de Bouole/dog of Bouley/Death dog)** category- spirit origin- Channel Islands/Guernsey/Jersey nature- loner/death bringer description- black headless dog that is a warnings persons of their upcoming deaths, appears with incoming storms  
**Wargs (Wargaz/Varg/Vargar/Veelvraat)** category- wolf-spirits origin= Norse/Germany/Sweden nature- evil/mounts/pack beast (war party) description= large malicious intelligent wolves  
**Xolotl (xoloitzcuintle/bone-dogs)** origin= Aztecs nature- divine/messengers/guard dogs description= god, skeleton, dog-headed man or monster animal with reversed feet that brings their masters souls safely to the other side (afterlife) with command of fire & lightning  
**Yeth Hounds (Heath Hounds/Yell hounds/Yeff Hounds)** origin- Devon/Somerset, England (Cleeve Hill) nature- pack beast (wild hunt)/dangerous/regional description- enormous unnatural coal-black hound with fiery eyes & breath, sometimes seen headless  
**Cŵn Annwn (Hounds of Annwn/Dogs of the Underworld/Dogs of Hell/Ghost hounds/Cŵn Bendith eu Mannau/Fairy Dogs/Hounds of the Mother/Cŵn Wybir/Sky Dogs)** category- ghost hounds/fairy hounds origin- Welsh nature- pack (wild hunt) description- white dogs with red ears whose bark sounds like migrating geese can kill if heard more than thrice & growls softens the closer they come to a person to pursue the souls of the newly dead _A/N- Because the Cŵn Annwn are known by so many different names and because they have been associated with several fairy kings, I took the myth of the two greyhounds that had been gifted to Arawn by Gwyn ap Nudd to heart and separated the Cŵn Annwn into three sub-breeds: the purebred Annwn (owned by Gwyn ap Nudd), the greyhound-bred Wybir (owned by Arawn), and the wolf-bred Mannau (owned by the Wild Huntsman). I also used this legend also to change the fur coloring of the Wybir as mythology had already established that the Wild Huntman's dogs possessed black fur._


	5. Chapter 4: Reminiscing

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Chapter 4 is last of the old material and carrier of even more notes… **

**At this point I must also admit that mythology rarely makes sense.**

**i**

**i**

**i  
**

Chapter 4

It took only twelve minutes for the Wybir pup to make the trek from the training field to Snape's chambers inside his lord's castle but before Harry could slip inside his asgre's room, he was grabbed from behind by a tall pale man with dark hair and lone eye. The strange man radiated power and possessed a gruesome looking scar across the left side of his face, half hidden under the long thick hair and beard. Harry also thought that he looked a bit like Snape.

"You sent for a puppy, Uncle?" The stranger demanded, directed to the fact that they were not alone.

"Now, now," Arawn's voice drew them both inside, "you should know better than to get between your son and his asgre, Bren. Put the pup down so he can get to work."

"Asgre?" the man asked, releasing the Wybir so he could take human form while Harry had protested simultaneously with, "Son?!" The twin protests had Arawn grace them both with an amused look that had the pair staring at each other in disbelief.

"The specialist has arrived then?" Harry then asked.

"He's just waiting for us to finish up before he can start," Harry heard Cneasaigh say. Cneasaigh was working on easing the worst of Snape's seizures that must have triggered during his absence. Harry knew that his presence comforted the injured iompróir and jumped onto the bed, delighted as the seizures stopped and the semi-conscious man instinctively wrapped his arms around his pet. Harry merely sighed, trying to get as comfortable as possible before looking back towards the adults for answers.

"What happened?" The stranger asked of the Faerie healer to which the Wybir also wanted answers for. He wanted to know what more he could do to help out. Cneasaigh was a tiny man whom reminded the teen of a darker, younger version of his Charms Professor. Gwynnwy had informed him shortly after his first meeting with Cneasaigh that the stocky healer was one of the Hobmen, a furry goblin relative that freely took on some duties preformed usually by house-elves.

Cneasaigh sighed, "The young master's healing is going slow. Some of the spell damage is old and is resisting treatment. He won't recover until the dark taint is removed, my lords."

"How much is left to cleanse?" The man his lord called Bren, inquired.

"Just this, milord Wotan," the Hobman said, revealing Voldemort's Dark Mark on his left arm. "A nasty piece of work that is."

"What is that?" Wotan inquired, staring unnerved at the tattoo.

"The work of a madman," Harry said from his comfy spot in his beloved's arms and gently nuzzled in the man in hopes of rousing him entirely. He still didn't trust the stranger the others called Wotan, but they trusted him enough for him to relax his guard somewhat.

"Ah, yes," Arawn understood, "the one that would be seeing Diablo soon."

"Will you be sending out the Dorcha then?" Wotan asked, curious.

"Not this time," Arawn shook his head, "The Wybir pack has claimed this prey for themselves. They are just waiting for the Prince's recovery before deciding when to start the Hunt."

Wotan gave a cruel grin in response, one that reminded Harry a bit of Snape, "So you will leave their fate to the hounds then? Do you want the assistance of my Mannau as well then?"

"It may not be necessary," Arawn's smirk was as cruel as he said, "Given what I heard Taoiseach planning, it sounds like they may let the pups here loose on them."

Harry's eyes widened at that news as Wotan repeated disbelieving, "They're intend to set a Surma pup loose in the Mortal World?" Harry didn't know what to think about that news. There were two Surma pups here at the moment, a boy and a girl. Both coal-black serpentine puppies were as powerful as an elephant and as deadly as a basilisk although they were no bigger than most of the other hellhound puppies present.

Arawn said, "No, I will not the Surma or the black Cadejo to participate, although they did mention something about recruiting the Werewolf tribes for this venture."

"They want to use a combination strike between hellhounds and werewolves?" Wotan asked teasingly, "When's the next full moon?"

"As the last one just passed, the next is the 8th of October," Arawn answered, "A Saturday."

"You both are insane," a soft voice from Harry's left remarked, alerting the three men that Snape was awake. Cneasaigh scurried over to the bedside to once again check on the weakened man while the two came over at a more leisurely pace.

"Finally," Harry remarked, relieved.

Snape ignored him to ask Cneasaigh, "You said something about treatment?"

"Ah," the Hobman remarked, understanding, "you mean the purging."

"Yes, that," Snape retorted feeling as if he was speaking with a very small child. "What exactly will that entail?"

Cneasaigh gave him a sad smile before answering, "Sorry, can't tell you that. It's something you need to work out with your asgre."

"My what?" Snape asked then followed the Hobman's gaze to a bewildered Harry. "Potter? Why him?"

Cneasaigh shrugged before saying, "He's the purifier, not me. Besides, the pup's core is more compatible to yours than any other I have ever seen."

'Uh oh,' Harry thought, fearing his asgre's wrath, but the half-blood's attention had already turned to the other men in the room.

"I'd never thought that I would ever see your face again," Snape said to the stranger with a slight sneer on his face. "Your womanizing finally caught up with you, Father? Or have the dogs kept you busy? After all, it has not escaped my notice that Ælwyd is the hellhounds' training grounds."

"Severus-" Wotan weakly protested as a grim Arawn and Cneasaigh along with a stunned Harry quietly watched the tense interaction between the pair. Harry looked toward the two Fae and realized that had no intention of stepping in what would be the start of a very heated argument that had been brewing for years. Not wanting to watch any more, the young Wybir proceeded to bury himself deeper into his master's embrace.

Snape was still ignoring Harry in favor of the other man, "Don't Severus me, old man! You have some nerve thinking you'd get a warm welcome after abandoning Mother and I to the whims of an abusive Muggle. Then again, half-bloods like me never did mean much to you and your kind now did it?"

'Half-blood?' Harry silently wondered. 'Was he born from a union between a Fae and a mortal woman?' He did not like the sounds of that. Arawn had already shaken his head and after a spoken word to Cneasaigh, left the room. After a wary look at the trio and a hesitant decision, the hobman proceeded to follow Arawn out.

"That's not-," Wotan tried again and was cut off.

Snape was not through venting. If anything, his quiet rage was building and with it was Harry's fear for his asgre's health, "You knew her magic couldn't protect us from the likes of him and you still left! We were defenseless thanks to you."

"What about your mother's relatives?" Wotan asked softly.

"What about them? " Snape merely snorted, "Eileen Snape née Prince was disowned for marrying a Muggle. Princes don't help blood-traitors. Her family is well established in their beliefs of blood purity and she had disobeyed, after all. Of course, it might have been different had she swallowed her pride and admitted that her son wasn't the scion of a Muggle, but by then she had taken every step she could think of to ensure that her husband didn't learn of her time with another man.

"'Father' could barely tolerate the fact that we had magic. How do you think he would have reacted to finding out that his wife had an affair… with someone that wasn't even human?!"

'So not a Muggle but a pure-blood witch?' Harry realized in disbelief.

"Severus, for what it is worth, I am sorry I wasn't there to look after you both," Wotan whispered, earning himself a disbelieving snort in response to the apology. "Please believe me when I say that you were safer in the Mortal World than you would have been with me."

"Excuses, excuses," Snape sarcastically retorted. "More like you forgot about us. How many children do you have now from women not your wife?" This earned him a mild glare from his father. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I care about all of my children," Wotan retorted, "Even the disrespectful ones like you."

"Don't lie to me," Snape retorts, "Our common blood had nothing to do with it. The only reason you're here now is because the Mannau pups need training. You probably wouldn't be here at all if Uncle hadn't told you that the house-elves found a stray Wybir pup and a half-blood Fae bearing the sigma of an ill-treated iompróir. Yes, I am perfectly aware of what my blood-status means to the Shee- Uncle told me, so unlike Potter, I'm only here in Annwn on a technicality."

"Severus," Wotan protested, "Don't be ridiculous."

"Not this argument again," Snape groaned in frustration and Harry took that as a sign that his asgre no longer desired company. Returning to canine form, he gracefully jumped off the bed before growling at the man that had angered his asgre.

Snape needed his rest and would not get that with the irritant present.

The man had to leave now.

"Severus," Wotan began to say then noticed the movements of the Wybir and was surprised to see the teeth of the growling pup. Hellhounds rarely barked as their barks tended to be instant death to those mortals unfortunate enough to hear them and even the sound of their growls could be misleading. The body language between the mortal and faerie canine breeds remained unchanged and Wotan had seen the pup's particular stance enough times with his own hounds to know what exactly what it meant.

He intended to attack.

"Severus, call him off now," he demanded, getting his son's full attention.

Snape took a moment's look at the situation in front of him before the confusion on his face upgraded to a bemused smirk. "No, Father, I don't believe I will," he then said smugly, ignoring the bewildered glare Wotan sent his way. "He obviously doesn't want you here and I find myself growing bored of this conversation. I believe you know the way out."

"My son, you have grown cold," Wotan told him before turning to go.

Snape's retort stopped him in his tracks momentarily, "After the nightmare that has been my life, you actually expect me to be anything else? How very presumptuous of you, Father."

"Your life will remain desolate if you continue to refuse to let others in," Wotan warned him grimly before leaving.

"Who ever said I would remain alone?" Snape retorts softly to the ceiling, before turning his attention to the now docile pup. "Potter, what exactly was that healer talking about when he mentioned my 'treatment'?"

Harry decided that this conversation would be best taken place on his asgre's bed and returned there after returning to his human form. He sighed as he attempted to figure out how to best explain it without the older man exploding.

"Well?"

Swallowing his pride and bracing for the tongue-lashing he knew was sure to follow, Harry reluctantly began, "Cneasaigh thinks that… uh…?"

"Get on with it!"

'Patience's another thing my asgre isn't known for,' Harry thought warily as he used their past resentment of each other as the last push he needed in order to blurt out, "I've been chosen to give you a total cleansing!"

"I guessed that much," Snape retorts then noticed the boy's hesitance, and demanded, "So what exactly does this cleansing entail?"

"I need to purify your core first," Harry reluctantly admitted, "before I can do anything else."

"Clean my core?" Snape skeptically repeated before exclaiming, "Are you telling me that you didn't do that when you had my soul-stone?"

"It doesn't work that way!" Harry protested, flushing in embarrassment then started fidgeting when he noticed Snape's amusement. "Um…"

"Now what?" Snape asked, torn between amusement and exasperation at his pet's discomfort as part of him wondered what had set the boy off now.

"You threatened to geld me if I tried anything," Harry timidly concluded.

Snape sat up straight in shock before hissing out, "What are you bringing that up for?" Harry didn't respond but he didn't need to. His deepening blush had more that answered Snape's question. "My energy affects your libido that much?" Harry timidly nodded at his inquiry.

"Merlin, spare us from adolescent hormones."

"Sorry sir," Harry stammered out, resisting the urge to hide or die from embarrassment.

Snape looked at the teen while in thought before asking, "Why exactly was that particular treatment chosen? In fact, why is treatment needed at all?"

Harry sighed in relief. This he could answer without hesitation or further embarrassment, "The taint from the spells you've been hit with over the years are slowing down your core's healing process and without it at top shape, the rest of you won't heal well either. All of our other attempts at cleaning it proved ineffective on the older and stronger curse damage and my presence with your soul-stone had already erased the rest of it."

Snape took this information from a researcher's point of view and asked, "So what is slowing it down that refused to be cleansed?"

"Voldemort's Death Mark," Harry answered reluctantly. "It's like a parasite. It's latched onto both your flesh and core and will need to be removed before any more healing can begin."

Snape bit back on a curse as he realized how much more his rash mistake would cost him. He never even considered what effect it would have on his physical and mental health. It was no sweet irony that the one to hold the keys to his redemption lay in the hands of the son of his worst enemy and dearest friend.

It was to Lily he would look to now in hopes of seeing the enigma that both desired and hated him who stood before him.

He was really going to have to find out what an asgre was.

"I see. Do as you must," Snape decided warily, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into. It wouldn't be any worse than what the Headmaster and Dark Lord had put him through over the years and given the hints of a sexual nature, he might even enjoy himself.

Fae were, after all, well known for being wanton by nature and after recent events, the rules could be damned for all he cared. The squeak that had escaped from the pup that launched himself at his owner made Snape softly chuckle at their new roles in things. He could live with this just fine.

Perhaps Potter wasn't as bad as he thought he was.

_cwn_

"That's it! I had it! No more books! No more studying!" Ron snarled as he threw the book he was reading across the Gryffindor Common Room in a bout of frustration before getting up. He ignored the shocked stares from his fellow Gryffindors and a glare from Hermione regarding the treatment of her book before she realized that he was leaving.

"Ronald Weasley, where do you think you are going?' Hermione demanded, going after him.

"Out!" Ron answered, turning to glare at her. "I'm worried about Harry too, but there are better ways of doing this… ways that actually feel like I'm accomplishing something!'

Hermione gave him a skeptical look before asking, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I don't know…," Ron said sarcastically. "Ask Hagrid what he knows or maybe owl Snuffles and Moony and see what they know?"

Hermione's eyes lit up in delight and she quickly bypassed him, "Ron, you're a genius!"

"I am? What did I say?" Ron asked in confusion but Hermione was already out the door forcing him to hurry after her. "Hermione, HEY! Wait up!"

_cwn_

Wotan was not surprised when the afternoon passed to have the two Wybir purifiers decide not to put off the cleansing anymore now that the specialist was there and waiting. Cneasaigh was informing the elemental specialist, Guaritore, and Wotan's curious Mannau healer, Taibhse, which decided to listen in of the cleansing process while Primas spoke with the Wybir pup. It gave him a chance think on what he had been told.

What had those Wizarding mortals done to his youngest?

His son's innate powers had been ripped open and the soft glow that now radiated from his son's pale skin began shortly after his arrival in the Faerie Realms was an indication of dormant Leuad blood. Dáiríre was displaying all the traits of a true Moon Child but there was no way that Dáiríre could have inherited that from him. He was of the Æsir, whom were born from water, smoke and earth and content at being just a Sidhe that the mortals mistakenly dubbed as a God.

Leuads were only born from elementals so he would have to look into just how much that blood ran in the Prince family's veins when he had the time. He did not expect it to be an easy task as his sources would be limited.

Elemental blood was highly valuable to the mortals that practiced the alchemist ways.

"Lord Wotan," Taibhse caught his attention, "there's someone here to see you."

The Mannau healer led him to the outer chamber of the castle where a blond girl waited for him. She was a mortal girl, yet had somehow been touched by the waters of the Mímir. He had not spoken to another of the Blessed in years, not since Sága, and never one this young. She was what, fourteen?

"Can I help you?" He asked, trying to figure out her motive for being there. Touched ones rarely stayed in one spot for long periods of time and never without reason. His wife was also one of the Blessed and they had rarely spoken to one another after the deaths of their natural children.

"There are some Wizarding children that will seek passage into the Faerie Realms," she said. "They are the adopted kin of your young Madra and they will come with those the bumblebee has sent to interfere with the Council's proceedings."

Wotan's remaining eye widened at that information. He remembered both his son and uncle stating that the young Wybir still had tight ties to the world that threw him out. To think that they would come here now- what were those mortals thinking?

"Why should I let them in?" He asked, suspiciously.

She shrugged and said, "They will also need a cleaning."

He understood that meaning and called for a house-elf. Once the elf arrived, he sent out his request and it returned moments later with the items. "Take these to them and bring the rest back here. You know more than I which of them are loyal."

"As you wish," she said and was gone as quickly as she appeared.

Wotan sighed, inwardly relieved. If this is what it took to break the mortals' chains on their kind, then he was all for it.

He better let the council know of their arrival.

They didn't need any mortal blood dirtying the streets of their fair home.

_cwn_

Luna smiled as her eyes opened and for a split second her eyes were clear. Relieved that no one had seen the full extent of her magical capabilities, she grabbed the bag that the lord had given her and rose from her bed to hurry to dinner.

She needed to find her friends now to stop them before they did something stupid.

_cwn_

Hermione's plan had actually included paying Hagrid a visit but not before stopping in the owlery to get Hedwig. It took Ron only a moment to realize that she intended on using the snowy owl to find her master and while he knew that doing so would be breaking the law, he no longer cared.

His friend was more important than some stupid law.

Neither one of them were expected to find Neville Longbottom and Loony Luna Lovegood hiding in the pumpkin batch listening to what was going inside. It took only a moment for Ron to realize that Hagrid had a guest and a moment longer to realize that that guest was Lupin.

Luna chose that moment to tell them, "They are going into the Faerie Realms soon so if you want to go, better tell them now."

"But I read that there a barrier to keep humans out. How can we get through that?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

"With these of course, silly," Luna told them, showing them a bag full of glowing yellow stones similar to the ones they had seen in Grimmauld Place. "Possession of an elf-stone will allow anyone to pass the barrier."

"Where did you get those?" Neville asked, bewildered.

"Never mind that," Ron said, snatching the bag of elf-stones from her. "This is our chance to finally see Harry."

"Right…?" Neville asked, confused. "Wait, see Harry?"

"It's a long story," Luna told him leaving Hermione wondering just how much she knew about what they were about to do. It was no surprise to anyone when seconds later when Ron interrupted the adults demanding to go with them to see Harry, or seconds later when Lupin called the rest of them inside the hut.

Neville would be getting his explanation after all. It was just a little bit sooner than any of them thought it would be.

_cwn_

Harry had been taught under his teacher, the Cŵn Wybir Primas, to use his purifier senses and healing powers to their fullest extent while making contact with the patient's mind and spirit. The first thing he needed to do while establishing contact was to find a neutral setting so that they could both feel safe. Creating that setting was as simple as letting his own magic merge with that of his patient.

The misty world around him could be best described as a painted menagerie of color. Cherry reds intermixed with burgundy, while sitting alongside melon oranges, tans, lime green and pine. There were yellows so pale they could be mistaken for white, molten golds, purples, silver and grays followed by vast amounts of royal azure and periwinkle accented by blues so dark they could be considered black. This was the manifestation of presence Harry had seen the first time he spoke to the soul-stone that possessed the essence of his asgre and the feel of it brushing his own brought with the sense of belonging, of being appreciated and loved, as if he was coming home. Voldemort's taint had already penetrated Snape's life force in the form of a reddish-black haze that covered everything.

He needed to hurry then. Snape had less time than he suspected.

The source of the taint would be around here somewhere. It would be somewhere near his mate's soul core. He just needed to find it first.

He found Snape's magic core first, shining like a fallen star lost in the surreal wasteland and burning brightly in the purest silver and gold. He had cleansed Snape's magic core days ago.

"Beautiful," he thought, allowing the purest form of his mate's magic wash over him while studying the tainted color scheme around him. One of his lessons had been about the significance of the colors of the aura and what they meant.

_Red was passion._ This aspect was badly damaged by the taint as his mate's often irrational rages showed. A thorough cleansing should erase those completely.

_Orange was charisma._ The taint had so severely damaged this that there was nothing left of its truest shade. Given the speech Snape had given during his first Potion's class, Harry suspected that once this was cleansed that his mate would make a wonderful diplomat.

_ Yellow was reasoning._ This aspect of his mate was mostly untouched by the taint and for that he was relieved. He enjoyed his mate's intelligence and wit when Snape's snark wasn't directed his way and a cleansing could only improve it.

_ Green was compassion._ Voldemort's taint showed here sharply as well but not as strongly as he feared it could have been. His mate's love was as deep as an ocean but as long as the taint remained, one would have to earn his respect first as he had learned the hard way.

_ Blue was wisdom._ Another aspect that had been damaged by the taint but not as severely as Harry had feared it had been. Even in its damaged state, Harry was not surprised to discover this to be his mate's strongest trait however the damaged red would only corrupt it further. He needed to fix that.

_ Purple was foresight._ Though this aspect didn't show up as strongly as Harry felt that it should, it remained largely untouched by Voldemort's taint. He wondered if it was possible to strengthen this aspect any and decided that he would have to ask Primas later.

_ Brown was dedication._ As devoted as his beloved was to the war cause and his Potions, Harry was surprised the brown didn't show up stronger than it did. Doubts were the only thing that could have diluted this aspect which meant Snape discovered something disturbing sometime in the past. Harry intended to ask about that later.

_ White was purity and pink was innocence._ Snape's partaking in the war had completely erased any sign of either color. The cleansing would at least bring the white back to the aura but the pink would remain lost forever. There was nothing he could do about the lost innocence without erasing memories that was one thing he refused to do.

_ Gold was the awakening of masculine energies and silver was the awakening of the feminine ones_. As Snape was an iompróir, the presence of both the silver and gold came as no shock to Harry. Unfortunately, the silver was nearly non-existent and without it, his mate's wings would not come in. He would have to do something about that.

He wanted children.

The black that was present in Snape's aura, however, meant that his beloved had been hurt- badly, and repeatedly. He would need to heal those hurts inflicted on Snape's mind and heart before the physical body could fully heal.

Then, and only then, he would hunt done the ones that had hurt his mate and make them pay. He already had a list and it was growing longer each day. Several of the worst offenders, like his godfather, needed a cleansing themselves but others, like Voldemort, would receive no mercy from him.

Voldemort's soul was too badly damaged to be cleansed even for a purifier as powerful as him anyway.

Dumbledore was another matter entirely because Harry could trace much of the damage done to Snape's core back to the Headmaster. His mate trusted the man and the elderly wizard had turned around to abuse that privilege.

He had broken the last of the seals placed by Dumbledore four days ago knowing that most of them should never have been there. The residue left by the seals that Eileen Snape had placed had broken under the duress caused by the Potestas Solvo Potion and the out of control magic release weeks ago had identified her spells as all Glamour and Concealment charms. Most of the seals Harry broke of Dumbledore's were magic dampers.

The Headmaster was not letting his mate reach his full power and to a Fae that was as deadly as cancer was to a mortal.

The seals he had broken infuriated him and he destroyed them with glee. After the second compulsion charm he had found and broken on Snape, Harry identified what he was working on. He had witnessed this particular spell work before on Kreacher and Darby and to a lesser degree on Winky and Dobby.

Dumbledore had turned his mate into his own personal house-elf, confirming that the rumors about the Headmaster's beliefs in restricting the rights of Magical Creatures and Beings were true after all.

Any trust Harry had left for the Headmaster had gone out the window by now and considered as much of a threat to them as Voldemort was.

He would not be a puppet to anyone. No one ever fully controlled a hellhound, not even asgre, but he knew Snape would never try to either. In the thousand years of partnership between the Shee and hellhounds, not one had ever forced the issue of dominance between the partnership matches. Not even the Dark Court had dared to press the element of trust needed between hound and Shee.

"Where is the core?" Harry wondered out loud. Dallying would accomplish nothing and in Snape's weakened state, another seizure could prove to be fatal.

A soft twinkle off to the Wybir's left answered his question and he wondered how he could have missed it. He had known that his mate's core was in bad shape but the actual sight was much worse. Voldemort's taint was so tightly intertwined around the weakened soul that Harry could not even determine its original size or color but the faint flicker he could see was gradually dying before his very eyes.

"Oh no, you don't," Harry hissed. "I still have too much invested in him to give up now. I won't let you take him." As if hearing his words, the tainted fog bank seemed to recoil and regroup but still not far enough away from the damaged core for Harry's liking.

"BE GONE!"

The burst of raw power that escaped Harry at the command sent part of the cloud fleeing as the rest burned under the purifying energy before disappearing entirely. The remaining taint reformed in a vague shape that strongly resembled the Dark Mark his mate bore.

Harry spoke slowly with each word backed by his cleansing presence, "Aegrotatio defaeco vel exuro!" The tainted cloud shuddered angrily as it slowly dispersed but not before lashing out at what was closest, his mate's core. Harry intercepted what he could as soon as he seen it coming, and grimaced when he felt Snape shudder with what he feared to be the start of another seizure.

"Severus," he whispered, helplessly, knowing that if he backed off now that his mate would die, "hang on. It won't be much longer now. Stay with me…"

But he could feel his mate's frail life force rapidly weakening under the brutal assault and had felt it give only seconds before the last bits of taint disappeared completely. Turning frantically back to where the core had been, he saw nothing.

"No," he whispered. "NO!" He did not lose his mate. He couldn't have.

It was then and only then that he registered two things. The calming presence of Primas was heavy in the air and with it Cneasaigh's gentle aura. He had not fought the taint off alone then if they were there as well.

The other was a soft glow that caught his eye lying on the ground at his feet. Harry reached down to investigate only to find a tiny jewel bearing all the colors of the rainbow. He picked it up, overwhelmed by the sense of presence of his mate in such intensity that he had never felt before even after handling his soul-stone.

It was then and only then did he look up and noticed that his surroundings had changed. Gone was the colorful eyesore leaving in its place a muted replacement of blues, purples and greens that he had come to associate loosely with an underwater or waterfall cavern that was slowly fading to black.

"Madra," he heard. It was Primas, "It's time to come back."

Clenching the odd stone tightly, Harry decided to obey his mentor's command though he knew that he had nothing to return to.

His beloved Severus was gone.

i

i

i

**Names & Translations**  
**Gorweddfa cellau chan 'r arglwyddi- Lord's bed chambers (welsh)**  
**Bren- ash (welsh)**  
**Dáiríre- serious (Gaelic)**  
**Cneasaigh- healer (Gaelic)**  
**Leigheas- healer (Gaelic)**  
**Cenau- puppy (welsh)**  
**Spéir- sky (Gaelic)**  
**Madra- dog (Gaelic)**  
**Primas- chief (welsh)**  
**Taoiseach- chief (Gaelic)**  
**Iompróir- bearer/carrier (Gaelic)**  
**Asgre- heart (welsh)**  
**Ælwyd- home (welsh)**  
**Brenin- king (welsh)**

**i  
**

**Notes**  
**Wotan-** An alternate spelling of the German Wodan, the hunter Wotan is one of four beings (the other three being Arawn, the Devil, and Herne the Huntsman) that is associated with the legends of both the spectral Wild Huntsman as well as the Horned King of Wiccan faith. Wotan is also interchangeable with the Norse war god Odin whom also participates in the Wild Hunt.  
**Æsir-** The established name for the benevolent gods in Norse Mythology to which Odin is king. Their enemies are another clan of gods known as the Vanir.  
**Mímir-** A wise man that was beheaded in the Æsir-Vanir war, Odin would later find his lost head and use it for advise. Mímir is associated with three things in Norse mythology: the well Mímisbrunnr (also called Mímir's Well and the well of knowledge) that feeds Ash Yggdrasil; the forest Hoddmímis holt where Odin once waited out the winter; and the fertility tree, Mímameiðr. Both Hoddmímis holt and Mímameiðr would later be see as extensions of the Ash Yggdrasil (called both the world-tree and the Tree of life) as both seem to reside in the same location as the tree.  
**Sága-** A seeress that Odin meets that on his travels, that is often associated with the goddess, Frigg (seeress & goddess of fertility).  
**Hobmen-** Also known as hobgoblins, the name Hobmen is an English North County name for house fairies. Hobgoblins means 'hearth spirits" and are found throughout England and lowland Scotland. They are described as hairy, good natured and sensitive house fairies of farms and like their counterparts will turn into boggarts if angered.  
**Dorcha-** Also known as Fear Dorcha or Dark Man, the name is interchangeable with Dullahan. However, the Dorcha is the silent servant of the Faerie Queen, while the Dullahan are the spirits of headless Irish coachmen that are usually found in the company of banshees or on the backs of headless ghost horses. Fear Dorcha is also one of the Fae thought to be the Horned King, which in Wiccan faith is the guardian protector of witches and the consort of the triple Goddess.  
**Diablo- **Spanish word for the Devil.  
**Sexuality/children-** Fairy children are produced in the rare cases that fairies mate, but they are known to rarely be faithful to their spouses. Despite that, fairies are known to be loving parents and one of the beliefs as to why human children are stolen is to make up for the lack of their own. Other theories are so the sickly fairy cold recover in the mortal and in some rare cause the fairy child is stolen by an malicious fae. Fae have been known to also mate with humans, but these half human offspring are said to possess powerful and dangerous presences, sometimes even evil natures. These children usually become mystics or bards… Alexander the Great, the Queen of Sheba, Merlin and even Shakespeare have been said to possess fae blood.  
**Elementals- **Spirits comprised of a single element, and existing in everything, the Greek scientist Empedocles made the theory that all things are composed of the elements of air, water, earth and fire, and that the human body was a perfect blend of all four. Neoplatonists separated these into four categories, each based on an element in the third century but it wasn't until the sixteenth century that they were given names. The alchemist, doctor & philosopher Paracelsus called the earth spirits as pygmies or gnomi (gnomes) as gnosis means "to know" and "of the earth"; the air spirits as sylvestres or sylphs (after silphie "moth/butterfly"); the fire spirits were vulcans or salamanders (greek for "fireplace"), and the water spirits are called nymphs or undine (means "wave"). he also decreed that while humans exist on the spiritual, astral and terrastrial level, elementals only live on one. Some speculate that fairies are also elementals made up of only one element, but it usually symbolic when referring to nature spirits, while others claim that wizards could create these spirits with solely their magic.


	6. Chapter 5: Reviving Hope

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Revisions are now complete- There's even one new chappie (complete with notes)… but still no beta!**

**i**

**i**

**i  
**

Chapter 5

Ron was not thrilled about following Hagrid back into the Forbidden Forest on another one of the half-giant's strange tasks. At least this time Hermione, Lupin, Sirius (in dog form), and even Neville and Luna were with them, so he felt a little bit safer from the local centaur and Acromantula populations. He trusted his friends and the adults with his life, but the forest inhabitants were another story as his prior experiences showed.

To release some of his discomfort, he asked the one question that had been on his mind since finding the pair at Hagrid's hut, "When did you and Snuffles get here?" Hagrid had only been back at Hogwarts for a couple days after cutting short whatever mission Dumbledore had him doing in light of everything happening at Hogwarts.

It didn't take a genius to know that his return had something to do with Harry's disappearance and the two remaining Marauders sudden arrival. "Only a couple hours ago," Lupin answered, before turning to ask Hagrid, "Are you certain that you will be able to help us?"

"It's all a matter of knowing the right ones," the half-giant told them. "Dumbledore told me that ye'd be needing a guide since none of you'd been there before and he'd be heading that way anyway so I just asked him to delay his trip a few days."

"So why are we going into the forest then?" Ron asked, on the lookout for anything remotely eight-legged. He did not want another run-in with one of Aragog's spawn.

"The guide is presently looking after Grawp," Hagrid answered, leaving the students to wonder what exactly a sort of creature this Grawp was. Knowing Hagrid and his love of strange and dangerous pets, it was probably not something he'd want to be alone with for any length of time.

"Grawp?" Neville asked, worriedly.

"Me little brother," Hagrid answered, ignoring the looks of shock and bewilderment from the three fifth years. "He came home with me because of… Well, um, they're both up ahead." It was then that they seen looked up to see what appeared to be a human the same height as the tree he was standing next to.

"Hagrid, that's a giant, right?" Hermione asked. "He's going to be the guide?"

"Nope, that's Grawpy," Hagrid answered, corrected her. "The guide is the other one. I decided that he would be the best one for the job since Ron and Hermione met him once already."

"Other one?" Neville asked as both questions were answered as they drew close enough to see a large brown haired man leaning next to a tree not far from where the giant was.

Ron whispered to Hermione whom shrugged, "When did we meet him? I think I would know if I ever met someone that tall before." He supposed Hermione was also trying to figure out they met the man that stood a foot taller than Hagrid.

"Them again?" The unnamed guide commented upon their arrival, "Don't tell me that you want me to watch these ones too?"

Hagrid managed to look sheepish, "They plan to go to Sifra and need help with the barriers."

"Sifra?" Neville asked, confused, looking to the others for help.

"It's one of three border cities that lay between the Mortal and Faerie Realms but also is where the Council of Races takes place," Lupin told him. "However, only someone of Fae-blood born or spend time in the Realms can safely navigate the outer barriers. Even with the stones Miss Lovegood managed to acquire, you'd still be vulnerable to the time wards. Fortunately, Sifra is close enough to the Mortal World that any time displacement will be only in mere hours. We would need a guide if we chose to go any further into the forsaken Realms."

"You don't think we'll find Harry in Sifra then?" Hermione asked, understanding whet he was saying.

"Actually, I'm not sure we'll recognize him if we do," Lupin candidly admitted. "I'm also thinking that will also be true of Severus as well. There they will have no need to hide their Fae blood." Padfoot's ears perked up at the mention of his godson but growled at the mention of the missing Professor.

"What?" Ron asked, "Harry's a Fae?"

Lupin shrugged before answering, "Sirius and James share a Fae ancestor with Tonks and the two missing Malfoys. I think Siri said that their common ancestor was originally a Bulstrode."

"They'll be in Sifra when we arrive," Luna told them, leaving her friends wondering who she meant. "They'll be there with Lord Wotan, Lady Frea and Lord Arawn."

"How fitting," Lupin remarked, his bemusement not clearing up any of the children's confusion.

The guide had been up to this point amused by their actions but his interests had caught at the mention of their missing friend. He then asked Hagrid, "What has that green-eyed pup done now?"

"Huh? How do you know Harry?" Ron asked as Hermione gasps, "Hermione?"

"Ron, we did meet him… back in our first year at Hogwarts," she said bewildered, but when he just looked at him confused, she clarified. "Don't you remember what we learned in our research? Fae have more than one than one form."

"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Lupin asked, confused.

Hermione weakly answered, "Ron, this is Fluffy."

"No way!" Ron protested, "Fluffy was a big, three-headed dog…" He then trailed off as he saw the large man smirk at him with his golden gaze fixed intensely on him. "Um… hi?"

Luna was close enough to catch Ron as he promptly fainted.

_cwn _

The first thing that Harry registered upon opening his eyes was the feel of his mate's still warm body underneath him, followed by the strangely comforting presence of the stone that he refused to let go. After that was that he was no longer alone in the room. He knew that he would find Primas and Cneasaigh there even before opening his eyes but seeing Wotan and Arawn there as well as the elemental healer was an unwanted bonus.

Dealing with his failure was hard enough. He was not ready to face Snape's relatives yet.

"I failed," He whispered weakly.

"You did not," his elderly mentor that reminded him so much of Hagrid answered, showing the reluctant teen the unadorned arm where Voldemort's Death Mark once resided. "The darkness surrounding Dáiríre's soul is gone."

"But he-," Harry began again weakly.

"Merely sleeps," Cneasaigh answered, quickly reassuring him, "and a close one that was too. Any later and we really would have lost him." Harry sat up in shock.

Snape was still alive?

Now that he knew, he studied his mate and gave out a sigh of relief when he felt a faint movement associated with the breathing of one that slept deeply and his sharp hearing could now pick up a steady heartbeat as well. He still could feel nothing of his asgre's magical presence and there was still the mystery of the strange stone he had found that he wanted explained.

As the ones who could best answer his questions were already in the room, he held out his hand to reveal the iridescent gemstone and asked, "What is this?"

Four sets of eyes widened (three of which he never though was possible) in recognition before Wotan calmly reached out to close Harry's fingers once more around the stone.

"Something you should treasure with your life," the one-eyed fae said softly. "Heart-stones are very rare and never given to anyone who did not earn or value them. He trusts you and given enough time, he will love you as well. You should remember that."

Harry looked at him confused so Primas explained, "Of all the elf-stones out there, two are the most valued: Soul-stones which monitor and maintain the health of their creator and heart-stones that a physical manifestation of that soul."

Harry sat up so fast that he was unaware he even moved though from the amused looks his companions, they seemed to believe that he was just as likely to faint instead. In fact, if he had been any more exhausted, he probably would have.

'_This rock was a piece of his mate's soul?' _He whispered, "Believe me, I will."

More than they could ever imagine. He just needed his beauty to wake up so he could tell that to his face but was in no hurry for it.

The healer there had already begun to move, taking the position where Cneasaigh once stood. Harry could feel the powerful energy wash over not only him but the slumbering man, so he was shocked when the air elemental addressed him seconds later, "The presence of the heart-stone shields his self from me. You will have to let me see through your eyes."

Harry nods, allowing the air elemental to merge his powers with his as he reopened the spiritual world of color he used during his cleansings. He knew that Guaritore could have used any purifier to access the slumbering iompróir's core, but by using Harry it meant that he needed the grounding abilities the asgre bond would provide even more.

As the healer sought out the connection he was looking for, Harry once more turned his eyes to the menagerie of colors, looking for the signs that the cleansing had to Snape's aura now that Voldemort's taint was gone. The colors were brighter than they had been and the red had receding considerably revealing the white that he knew was also there. He was just surprised to see that the red had also revealed some pink in greater abundance than the white had been.

Its presence meant that he still had a chance to capture his mate's heart and that was something Harry intended to take.

Guaritore called him over then, having located the relocated life and magic cores and was presently examining them both. To Harry's eyes, they still looked like miniature suns, but that soon changed as the sylph touched one, transforming the life core into something that strongly looked like a spider web made from iridescent threads. The elemental quickly returned it back to its star-like form before turning its attention back to the silver and gold web he made from the magic core.

"Here's our problem," Guaritore commented and it didn't take a genius to realize what he had found. The web that the life core had created had been large and almost prefect in its structure but the web that was created from the magic core was partially missing. "Dáiríre is fortunate that there is still enough mortal blood in him to keep his life and magic core separate."

"How so?" Harry asked, curious.

"Elementals and Fae only have one core, not two, and having one in this shape would have been an instant death sentence for them," Guaritore explained. "Fae are not meant to live without their magic. Dáiríre had been capped; half of his powers have been taken from him. I can regrow the lost pathways easily enough but the chances that he'll ever regain his full potential are slim. Also, without knowing the cause of this, it may happen again."

He heard Primas' voice echoing in the background as he listened to their conversation from the bedside, "Cenau, you've been with Dáiríre longest. Do you recognize the energy signal responsible for his capping?"

"I'll try," Harry said, closing his eyes to concentrate. Tracking aura signatures had been one of his first lessons as a Wybir but matching the signature to a name required familiarity. He already had a couple candidates in mind from his own cleansing and was not entirely surprised when by his reading.

"There are three distinct signatures on his core besides his," Harry told them, knowing that Primas wasn't the only one listening in on their conversation. He knew that the room would not have cleared out just because the two of them were working. "One is Guaritore, which is expected, and there seems to be some old lock that I'm thinking might be inherited. The placer of that I don't know…"

"An old lock?" Cneasaigh asked, confused.

"I believe that he means a genetic safeguard," Wotan told him, "It's a common practice amongst the Wizarding purebloods. I can only guess that it had been triggered by one of his mother's kinfolk."

"The damage left by such safeguards are always temporary and will not heed Dáiríre's recovery any," Guaritore told him, having broken such safety measures before. "The third?"

"Dumbledore," Harry said, growling.

"That one is becoming a regular nuisance," Arawn replied.

"He is not going back there," Wotan grimly stated, and there were no arguments stating otherwise. Instead there were three like minds plotting as what they would do if they managed to get their hands on the crafty old man.

In the meantime, Guaritore began his weaving.

_cwn _

Sleep eventually crept up on him and knocked the young Wybir out like a light. When Harry woke up a couple hours later, the room was empty of all others except for the owner of the purple eyes that stared back at him.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"Yes… I felt your work," Snape answered, shocking with the Wybir with the small tone of awe that crept into his otherwise contained voice. "You succeeded. You freed me…"

"I had help…," The boy whispered, "but I also had my own reasons for doing it. You are my asgre, my muirnín."

""Beloved'?" Snape asked softly, looking at the human teen that lay against him. With the boy lying against him and their energies as intertwined as they were, he could not help but feel the mixed emotions the pup was radiating. The boy was a mess- a scared, confused, relieved, angry, heart-broken mess and the majority of that was his fault but he wasn't certain why. "You think of me as your mate? But why?"

"Because I want to," Harry countered. "And because I want you. I have known since my first year at Hogwarts that you were to be my mate."

"Rubbish," Snape retorted, "Do you really know what you are saying?"

"Hellhounds mature quickly," Harry countered. "I want the right to court you and I won't take no for an answer."

Snape gave him a bemused look before responding, "That's quite the Slytherin sentiment, Potter. You have obviously grown enough to become quite the little Fae, but what about your girlfriends back at Hogwarts? Won't they miss you?"

"Not going back even if allowed again," Harry answered, "and there were never any girlfriends. I won't risk losing you."

"You really are a fool," Snape sighed. "I am no worthy prize-" Harry hissed, cutting off the rest of the iompróir's words with a kiss as he pinned him to the bed. He wanted to mark each piece of his beauty's body as his own but that would have to wait until after the iompróir was strong enough to appreciate his actions more.

Snape surrendered without much of a struggle as the strong glow of those beautiful green eyes drew him in. Even if he had the strength to resist the Wybir's bold seduction, Snape knew that he wouldn't have fought back. The iompróir in him desired to be claimed by this child that made his body and soul sing.

He would complain to his uncle and father about their poor choices in mates later.

There were just needed to be some ground rules with his puppy to be set down first.

_cwn _

Wotan and Arawn watched the interaction between the pair torn between amusement and concern. Wotan was the first to break the silence with, "This is certainly unexpected."

"Not as much as you think, Bren," his uncle answered. "Both Primas and Cneasaigh had caught signs of it shortly after their arrival. I am, however, worried as to what Madra's reaction will be the Lords that will seek out Dáiríre's attentions."

Wotan grimaced at that reminder, "It will not end well. Neither of them has yet adjusted."

"My lords?" a timid voice interrupted their conversation and they turned to see an elderly house elf standing uncomfortably in the hall with hands full of parchment. "There's someone here wanting to see Lord Dáiríre. He came with these."

Wotan sighs as his uncle had the house-elf direct someone to guide the new arrival to a room. "And so it begins…"

_cwn _

Draco Malfoy was not entirely certain what he was expecting when the strange little elf led him to the private chambers of his godfather, but what he found was not it. He would admit that he had never seen the inside of Snape's quarters back at Hogwarts but given the state of his Potion Professor's office and what he had been told about Spinner's End from his parents, he had been expecting something dark, dank and creepy. The large, bright and airy set of rooms was not anywhere what he had expected and decided that they were the Faerie equivalent to a sick room or infirmary. That thought left him wondering where Snape's real chambers were located and when would he be able to see them.

Something felt very wrong here and he needed to find out what.

He had expected Snape to be alone when he arrived, but what he found was a large bluish white dog laying on an equally large bed next to a lean handsome man with long black hair loosely bound back in a braid that had been tossed over his shoulder. If his mother's description was accurate, then Draco was now staring at was his godfather.

"Sir, you sent for me?" He asked carefully. His godfather's temper was legendary and he didn't have anything as a buffer this time to save him from it. As he had already been here for a full day without seeing one but a house elf, getting out his rooms had been a blessing in disguise. As beautiful as the parts of the village he had seen in his short stay, his entire stay in this place seemed surreal as if he was wandering in the midst of a pleasant dream.

Dark purple and brilliant green eyes looked up at him the moment he spoke and if he hadn't felt self conscious upon arrival he certainly was now. The dog's eyes were especially unsettling. No dog should have that level of intelligence much less possess eyes that particular shade of green. It felt as if he was looking at his own death, but that shouldn't be possible. It was only a dog.

What was more unsettling was that he felt like he was looking into the eyes of his most hated rival, Harry Potter, but that could not be possible. Potter had been banished from the Wizarding World to spend the rest of his miserable existence as a lowly Muggle.

It certainly showed the scum to never defy a Malfoy.

"Draco," the handsome man spoke with in the same satiny voice he knew as his godfather's, "I take it your trip here went well."

"Well enough I suppose. House-elf isn't the best way to travel but the floo and portkeys don't work here," Draco agreed, taking in the complete view of the chamber. He ignored the small end table where two opened letters lay, knowing that one of them was probably his mother's letter in favor for the rest of the room. He had never seen such fine quality of craftsmanship anywhere in the Wizarding World and decided that he wanted something similar for his own quarters when he returned home. The entirety of this castle had looked like it had been grown out of a single gigantic tree as the unadorned walls showed neither marks nor seams to indicate it had been manmade. The curtains on the windows are surrounding his godfather's bed, at least, he knew had created from fairy silk as the sun's rays made the delicate fabric shimmer like mother-of-pearl.

He had never seen so much of it before. Even amongst the wealthy, fairy silk was hard to come by and even when found, it was in poor quality.

"Sit down," his godfather commanded, waving to one of the few chairs that had been placed in the room. The presence of the chairs didn't surprise as he knew that Snape would probably still be recovering from his ordeal at the Dark Lord's hands.

Draco warily took a seat, shuddering slightly when he noticed that the dog had yet to take its eerie stare off of him. Maybe he could get it to leave.

"How much did your mother explain to you about the situation here?" Snape asked and Draco noticed the faint smirk on his lips. So his godfather had noticed the stare-down he was having with the dog, so why wasn't he doing anything to stop it?

"Not much," Draco said bitterly, "just that it wasn't safe at either Hogwarts or the Manor anymore. Do you know what scared her so much to do something this foolish? I should be at Hogwarts or at least helping Father, but instead I'm out in the middle of nowhere doing nothing."

"Unfortunately I do know," Snape said grimly. "You mother senses trouble on the horizon and choice to act the only way she could."

"What do you mean?" Draco demanded, "Those blood-traitors and Mudbloods don't stand a chance now with Potter gone and everyone knows it. Even that fool Dumbledore knows it."

Ignoring the faint growl that escaped the dog, Snape responded quietly as he scratched the dog behind the ears which seemed to sooth it enough to quiet it down somewhat, "This has nothing to do with the Dark Lord and everything to do with blood purity. Do you know how you arrived in Ælwyd?"

Draco looked at him if he was insane before answering suspiciously. What was the man thinking now? "A house-elf brought me obviously."

"While that may be true in some respects, the answer itself is wrong," Snape answered. "There is a screen around the Outer border that prevents anyone not of some Fae blood from entering. As I rather doubt that you are in the possession of an elf-stone, how do you suppose you got here again?"

Draco knew now that this man was insane, "They must have suspended it somehow! My parents are both Purebloods. There is no way I could have Fae blood."

"In your father's case that is most likely true," his godfather agreed. "However, I do know for a fact that there is Fae blood in the Black family."

"You lie!" Draco snarled, ignoring the condescending looks both his godfather and the damned dog were giving him. He didn't want to believe those words. For the first time since leaving home he had actually felt safe. It scared him that he actually felt more secure in the Faerie Realms than he felt at home.

There had to be something wrong with him then. No, there is something wrong with them both. He shouldn't be feeling this way about this place. Neither of them should.

That dog shouldn't be here either. In fact, that dog was probably the source of what he was feeling. It needed to go.

"Put your wand away, Draco. NOW!" Snape scolded and Draco dropped it, stunned. He hadn't even realized he had drawn it, much less pointed at the bed. What was he thinking? If he cast any spell and missed, he would have hit his godfather and Snape didn't have a wand to defend himself with. In his weakened state, Draco could have killed him.

The soft growl that came from the dog showed that the dog was most definitely not amused and Snape was not either, "Stupid boy, do you actually possess a brain in that head of yours or is it just for show? You DO NOT, for any reason, pull your wand out on a hellhound unless you have a death wish. Am I understood?"

'_HELL hound?' _Draco mouthed, horrified. He was so dead.

"I would suggest that you don't repeat this lesson. From what I hear, there happens to be at least eight hellhound packs on the grounds at the moment and I know for a fact that at least two of those breeds have a fondness for human flesh," his grandfather concluded. "You will find that most of the hellhounds are not as forgiving of such stupidity as Madra here."

Draco opened his eyes then realizing that he was still alive. The dog, no hellhound, had not moved from its spot on the bed.

_So the dog's name was Madra? _Draco asked timidly, "Why is it here anyway? Shouldn't it be with the other hellhounds?"

"**He** is mine and is exactly where he's supposed to be right now," Snape coolly explained to him as the teen hesitantly looked back at the motionless hellhound. He did not like the look in the hellhound's eyes. They seemed to be laughing at him.

"Oh," there wasn't anything Draco could say to that.

For once he was actually glad to be unworthy of a powerful being's notice. The hard part would be staying that way.

i

i

i

**Names & Translations**

**Cŵn- **dogs (welsh)

**Dáiríre**- serious (Gaelic)

**Cneasaigh- **healer (Gaelic)

**Madra- **dog (Gaelic)

**Primas- **chief (welsh)

**Taoiseach- **chief (Gaelic)

**Taibhse- **ghost (Gaelic)

**Guaritore- **healer (Italian)

**Aegrotatio defaeco vel exuro- **banish taint (Latin) spell

**Potestas Solvo- **increase ability (Latin)

**Iompróir- **bearer/carrier (Gaelic)

**Asgre- **heart (welsh)

i

_**Notes**_

**A/N- These are the established meanings for the colors found during an aura reading.**

_**Red= **_Color of strong (life-promoting/sexual) energy, fire & primal creative force (transmutation & new birth). Indicates strong passion, mind & will & the awakening of latent abilities & talents. Reflects rage, love, hate, unexpected changes. _Mostly Red _indicates over stimulation, inflammation or imbalance. _Muddied Red_ reflects nervousness, temper, aggression, impulsiveness or excitement.

_**Pink= **_color of compassion, love & purity. Reflects joy, comfort & a strong sense of companionship. Indicates a quiet, modest individual & a love of art/beauty. _Muddier Pink _can reflect immaturity, degree of truthfulness, or times of new love/visions.

_**Orange= **_Color of warmth, creativity and emotions. Indicates courage, joy & socialness. Reflects opening of new awareness. Can also indicate emotional imbalance or agitation. _Muddier Orange _reflects pride & flamboyance, worry or vanity.

_**Gold=**_ reflects dynamic spiritual energy (masculine) & a true coming into one's power. Expresses devotion & restoration of harmony & shows strong enthusiasm & inspiration. Indicates a time of revitalizing. _Dark/Muddier Gold_ indicates that the power has not yet awakened nor clarified.

_**Brown= **_color of earth. Reflects new growth, industry, organization, establishing new roots & a desire to accomplish. May also indicate lack of/need for discrimination or an energy clog.

_**Yellow= **_color of mental activity & new sunshine that represents power of ideas, awakening psychic abilities & clairsentience. Reflects new learning opportunities,lightness, wisdom & intelligence. _Pastel/Light Yellow _indicates optimism and reflects enthusiasm for something in life, the power of ideas & spiritual development. _Dark/Muddier Yellow _reflects excessive thinking & analyzing as well as being overly critical, feelings of being deprived of recognition & being dogmatic.

_**Green=**_ color of sensitivity & growing compassion. Reflects growth, sympathy & calm as well as someone reliable, dependable & open-minded. _Muddier/Darker Green _reflects uncertainty, jealousy, possessiveness & miserliness & can indicate self doubt. _Blue-Green_ represent healing & is the color of abundance, strength and friendliness.

_**Blue=**_ color of calmness & quietness. Reflects devotion, truth & seriousness. Indicates an ability for clairaudience & development of telepathy. _Light Blue_ indicates active imagination & good intuition. _Dark Blue _indicates devotion, honesty & good judgment & possibly finding one's life's work. _Muddier Blue_ reflects blocked perceptions & can indicate melancholy, rushing & worrying, domineering, fearfulness, forgetfulness, & oversensitivity.

_**Purple/Violet= **_color of warmth & transmutation, blending of the heart & the mind, the physical with the spiritual. Indicates independence, intuition, dynamic & important dream activity. Reflects one who is searching & an ability to handle affairs with practicality & worldliness. _Light Purple_ reflect humility & spirituality. _Red-Purple_ indicates great passion or strength of will as well as a need for greater individual effort. _Dark/Muddier Purple_ reflects a need to overcome something as well as some erotic imaginations. Also indicates being overbearing, needing sympathy & feeling misunderstood.

_**White= **_reflects truth & purity. Indicates the energy of the person is cleansing & purifying itself & the awakening of great creativity.

_**Grey= **_color of initiation. Indicates unveiled innate abilities. _Much Grey _indicates a secretive, lone-wolf personality. _Silver _reflects the awakening of feminine energies (illumination, intuition & creative imagination). _Twinkling Silver Lights _indicate that one is, has been or will be pregnant in a nine month time span). _Dark Grey_ indicates physical imbalances & a need to leave no task undone.

_**Black= color of protection. Indicates a need to shield oneself from outside forces & that one has secrets. May also indicate imbalances of the body &/or mind.**_


	7. Chapter 6: Reflections

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Ooooh! New territory… but no notes….**

**I**

**I**

**I**

Chapter 6

_I must say that this was certainly unexpected. Your package has arrived safely and is in good hands. You don't need to worry about that anymore. _

_However, whenever you are able- We need to talk._

_Half-blood Prince_

Narcissa merely smiled at the letter Kreacher brought back to her, somewhat relieved by the contents before torching it with a simple spell, "It's good to know that not all of my hard work has gone to waste."

It was time to start plan B.

_cwn _

The outside surroundings felt as if he was walking amidst a clearing just large enough to house the entire quaint village in a lush jungle forest surrounded by wildlife and majestic waterfalls yet in the back of his mind were the nagging reminder that the entire realm was deep underwater.

Draco was still not use to the village of Ælwyd although he heard and saw quite a bit of the friendly little Faerie town during his first couple days' stay there. It was from his godfather that he learned that Ælwyd was governed by a beautiful dark-haired woman named Dia, one of Arawn's youngest daughters, and that they were staying in the part of the manor reserved for her family. Dia was also responsible for housing the owners of the hellhound packs along with their respective dogs that Ælwyd was where the hellhounds converged once a year for training and recreation yet was one of the territories closest to the Mortal Realm.

It was Madra that informed Draco that Arawn, King of Annwn, was Snape's great-uncle on his father's side of the family. Madra also informed Draco that the powerful, raven-haired, one-eyed Fae that he had seen a couple times in passing was Snape's father, Brenin Wotan, the leader of the Æsir Fae from the forsaken territories of Melasgerd. Draco did not recognize the name Wotan but he did know of the Æsir. They were of Norse-blood. In fact, didn't the ancient Muggles of that region consider them Gods?

Madra was another thing Draco was having difficulty adjusting to. He very rarely saw Snape without the hellhound at his side, and it had taken him several days to acknowledge the fact that the red-eared, silver-white dog and the gorgeous green-eyed, silver-haired creature that he saw with his godfather to be the same person. Seeing anyone dating his godfather was hard to accept as he had been alone for too long. His father told him a while back that Snape's only love interest in the past had been a woman but the overly affectionate caretaker that tended to his godfather's every whim was definitely male.

Despite his circumstances, he wasn't lonely. While Snape's recovery guaranteed that he wasn't always there to keep his godson company, the Fae made certain that he was never alone. Mhen and Rui proved to be very interesting company and he frequently found himself dragged from place to place around the village by the two pretty Mannau and Inugami girls. He would never look be able to look at a hellhound in quite the same way again. All it took was one conversation with Rui to decide these "dogs" had more intelligence than his cronies Crabbe and Goyle had combined and were capable of so much more.

When he returned to Snape's living chambers that he now shared with Snape and Madra, he found the pair out on the large pillow that doubled as a chair with Snape lying on his stomach naked from the torso up as the other man seemed to massage his chest. While this was a sight Draco had witnessed often since arriving to the airy white room that he originally presumed to be just a sick room, the presence of the healers and Snape's relatives were new.

"What's going on here?" He demanded angrily, noticing that Madra was not alone with Snape on the floor next to the pillow-chair. Another man was with them, softly speaking with Madra as he worked and it took a moment to realize that this was the one they called Primas.

The painful grunt that escaped his godfather stopped anything else Draco had planned on saying at that moment. Wotan, however, decided to answer him with, "Dáiríre is finally recovering. His wings have started to emerge." Draco winced. He had forgotten about that. That certainly explained why everyone was here then.

He still was adjusting to everyone calling Snape _'Dáiríre' _but at least he now knew who they were referring to. Snape also had another name for his hellhound partner which he used occasionally, but Draco was never in the same room when his godfather used it so he was never quite certain what it was that he was saying. It sounded almost like _'Potter' _which was stupid because the only Potter that either of them knew- that was still alive anyway- should be nowhere near where they presently were.

"GODDAMNIT!" His godfather then belted out when Madra found a particularly sore spot, "POTTER! Watch what you are doing!"

'_Potter?' _Draco wondered as Madra responded, "Sorry, love, but there's one knot here that refuses to cooperate. Please bear with me a little longer."

Draco went very pale then as he studied the human-shaped hellhound closely. He looked closer to Snape's physical age of twenty-something and his coloring was bleached white but unless he was mistaken, the hellhound that was courting his godfather was Harry Potter.

'_They knew- Snape knew and he didn't tell me. So much now is made clear,' _His thoughts were at a loss as what to do now. _'All his life he had been lied to and this is what he gets? His mother had lied to them before shipping him off to what was obviously a traitor to his father's cause where he could be lied to some more…' _

He refused to stand for any more and turned to Arawn to say, "Take me home."

Arawn sighed but Dia beat him to a response and said, "Let me show you something first. After then you can decide if that's what you really want. Okay?"

"Fine," he agreed, knowing that there was nothing that she could say or could change his mind about this, but was still curious enough to see what pathetic scheme she might try to win him over. Fae were accomplished liars and manipulators so he would have to be on his guard or he would once again fall under their control.

Dia led him outside to the edge of the village where one of the clear ponds fed by the smallest of the waterfalls and said, "This is Fírinne's Mirror which has been blessed by the waters of the Mímisbrunnr which feeds the Tree of Life. The river that feeds into this pool is one of the lesser arteries of the River Lethe."

"Your point?" Draco inquired, wondering what the geology lesson was supposed to do.

"Merely calm your mind and look into the water," Dia told him. "If you still want to leave after that, I will let Father know once we return."

"Fine," he groaned, wondering what the point was to the stupid request and proceeded to peer into the clean water. He pulled away horrified seconds later.

"I'm staying!" He said cursing under his breath. What was he thinking looking into waters created from the river of truth and blessed by the waters of knowledge?

There was no way he could leave after seeing all that.

Not if he wanted to live that is.

_cwn _

When Draco had returned to Snape's living quarters then rooms were completely empty except for Snape and Madra where the hellhound was cleaning the back of the iompróir with a large towel, a large basin of water, several smaller towels and a very extensive medical kit filled with herbs and potions at his side. Snape looked ill and to Draco it appeared that the pretender was holding him up. He immediately rushed over to grab the man's shoulders so the hound could hurry up and leave. He wanted to talk to Snape, alone.

He then froze when he saw what was left of his godfather's back. It looked like several deep wounds on the shoulder blades that were presently badly infected. What was in the wounds instead was some pus-covered round object that he didn't recognize that Madra was presently handling. Or rather, should he say, cleaning? Draco was very glad that he was no where near the room when whatever they were emerged.

Madra, however, didn't seem to mind and the teen had the strangest feeling that the hound was actually fascinated by the grotesque objects.

"I loosened this casing too," Madra told Snape softly, "so it should fall off as it dries. I'll get your back now."

Draco watched in morbid curiosity as the hound continued working, smoothing a lotion of some sort over the pink areas but his interest was suddenly brought back to those strange objects that seemed to be sagging further. Madra called them 'casings'. Were those Snape's wings then?

By the time the hound had fully finished rubbing the lotion on Snape's back, the man had resumed some life back to him and Draco realized that he must be in a considerable amount of pain. The lotion Madra had used must contain a pain reliever in it along with an anti-inflammatory agent. The casings were also on the ground now and in their place was what appeared to be a pair of long silvery ropes.

"They're beautiful," Madra said softly, and Draco had to agree. The wings were also shriveled up but they would dry and then they would see their full splendor. When he had heard the term _'iompróir' _he had imaged the feathered wings of an angel simply because butterfly wings would never work on someone like Snape, but these more obviously resembled insect wings. He had heard in passing at the village that one of the names for iompróir was _dragonfly_ but never realized what that meant until now.

Draco also knew that the wings could not he handled until they fully dried out or they could tear. Snape said softly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see them until then. "Mind helping me to bed then?"

"Sure," Madra helped him up, "get some sleep."

Draco waited until his godfather was safely in bed before addressing the hellhound. "Mind telling me what the real reason you're here, Potter, and preferably one that didn't involve the seducing our Potions Professor?"

The hellhound merely chuckled and said, "I was wondering when we were going to be having this conversation. Is it more comfortable for you in this form, or should I retake the appearance of the Boy-Who-Lived?"

Draco glared at him and demanded, "Where is Potter and who are you really?"

"You happen to be speaking to him," the hellhound answered, "but I don't think that is what you meant, huh, Malfoy?" Draco's angry glare never left him so he continued, "The story about a fifteen-month old baby boy surviving a Killing Curse to the head remains just that, a story. The Wizarding World found out that it's a good way of making a hell-hound though."

Draco went pale as that sank in and he whispered, "So everything was just a lie then?"

"Not everything," Madra told him. "Our interaction together at Hogwarts was very much real."

Draco ignored that to ask, "Then how did the Dark Lord die at Godric's Hallow? The Killing Curse was supposed to repel off of your head back at him."

"Sev asked about that too," Madra said amused. "You need to remember something, Malfoy. The story of the Boy-Who-Lived was told by people who were never there when Mum and Dad died and never saw what really happened that Halloween. The Headmaster said that my mother's love protected me, though we both know that's not true as one of the requirements for being a hellhound is being dead."

"Yeah," Draco snorts. Honestly, that story of Dumbledore's was a story for babies. "So what really happened then?"

Madra shrugged, "Voldemort made the mistake of confirming his kill. The rest of the story is true. Voldemort did send another Killing Curse at me once he realized I was 'alive' that did rebound but my scar wasn't caused by that curse. That's the mark of the Valkyrie that found me."

"But the Unforgivables don't bounce or reflect once cast," Draco protested. He found the story of Harry Potter being a hellhound easier to handle than his godfather and Head of House being a Fae. It always felt as if Potter was part of a different world.

"If cast on a Purifier they will," Madra said. "The aura of a Purifier will reflect any magic sent their way or dissolve it entirely. One of my first lessons as a human was learning how to suppress my aura enough so I could get hexed just to avoid suspicion."

Draco froze at that then looked timidly at the floor before asking, "About that- I heard about Snape's cleansing and uh, can you do that for me too?"

Madra smiled and asked, "Are you sure about that? It can get rather personal."

"Just do it," Draco growled out, and went willing when the hellhound led him over to the cushions he and Snape had used earlier. "By the way, what is going on with you and Snape? I thought he didn't like you enough to let you snog him?"

"He's my asgre," Madra told him, "and I known our first day at Hogwarts that he'd be the one I call mine. Sev still fights me on some things but won't on this. He knows that he needs me as much as I need him."

Draco didn't believe him but was nearly bowled over by the strength and purity of Potter's aura that brushed against his. The energy made him gasp and feel weak in the knees, but it also felt really nice and his classmate was barely touching him. If this was what Snape was feeling whenever he was touched by the hellhound, he didn't think he would pull away either.

"Asgre?" Draco asked, "What's that?"

"It's what bonded hellhounds calls their Fae partners," Madra said simply, "but mortals categorize the bond as shield-brothers or soul-mates."

"And Snape is yours?" Draco repeated, disbelieving. "We're only fifteen!"

Madra said softly, paying more attention to the teen's aura reading than the conversation, "Yes, but I'm old enough to take a mate of my own."

"Yet you chose Snape?" Draco repeated skeptically.

"_Lord Arawn _chose Snape," Madra corrected him. "I would have pursued him even if he wasn't my asgre. I think that's why my Lord chose him."

Draco grimaced but said nothing, then decided to ask, "Is that why you look like an adult instead of my age?"

"Nope," Madra answered coolly, "I look like this because my birthed self makes Sev uncomfortable. You aren't the only one that remembers what year I was born."

"What is this body anyway?" Draco asked.

"This is the half-way step between my canine and human forms," the hellhound humorously replied, "Sev thinks of it as the physical manifestation of my soul and he may be right. This form is probably the closer to my true appearance than the human shell known as Harry Potter."

Draco couldn't say anything to that, but it made him wonder as to what the hellhound truly looked like if he brushed off his Wybir form as a Wizard would an animagus form. He also left him with one more question that had been puzzling him ever since he first associated Harry Potter and Madra together. "Where are your glasses?" He was surprised when the silver haired Potter started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You Slytherins think too much alike!" the Wybir chuckled, before explaining. "I've never needed them actually, well, not in the same way humans do. Those glasses of mine were designed to limit my Wybir sight to the human norm."

Draco groaned as Madra sobered up and asked, "Speaking of sight, I heard that Lady Dia took you up to Fírinne's Mirror. See something that you liked?"

"Not really," Draco grumbled. "Scrying pools that size should be illegal." The hellhound merely chuckled. "Now what?"

"You'll never see a true Scrying pool outside of the Faerie Realms," Madra told him, "even possessing the water from one of them, such as from Fírinne's Mirror, can get a mortal into serious trouble with the Ministry of Magics all across the world. Looking into one is a reward you will never again experience."

"And one I could have done without," Draco argued.

"You saw the future then?" Madra asked quietly, receiving a nod in response from the confused teen. "Don't worry, we won't let them win."

"Good," Draco said grimly, "I want to help."

"Thank you, Draco," the soft voice that responded came from their left where they saw Snape standing there in the doorway to his bedroom.

"Should you be up?" Draco asked, concerned as Madra closed his eyes in dismay. He did not like Potter but the affection the hellhound had for Snape was obvious.

"If you wanted me to sleep then you shouldn't have been so loud then," their Potions Teacher remarked softly before shrugging, "These also need some time getting use to."

Draco wondered what the man was talking about when he saw a flash of light and realized that the wings Snape bore were now mostly dried out and flowed with him like a cloak.

"You rolled on them, didn't you?" Madra asked candidly, pulling away from Draco. The blonde teen took the hellhound's actions as the cleansing being done and gladly left for a chair. He was not a dog like Potter and saw no real point in sitting on the floor when there was furniture available.

Snape glared at him, "I most certainly did not. The pain in my back alone would have prevented such an attempt. You will either have to bind my hair before it rips them out or cut it even shorter."

"But I like it like this!" Madra retorted in good humor earning a glare from his asgre in response.

Draco watched them both in bemusement, now noticing the sarcasm mixed with affection acted out between the two. Snape said nothing in regards to Madra's true identity which sort of surprised him. It only clarified that their vendetta had been resolved.

Madra then asked him the last question he would have thought Potter would ask, "Care to fly with us? My Firebolt is around here somewhere."

Draco looked at him bewildered and stammered out, "You'd let me use your broom? Don't you need it? Or better yet, aren't you afraid I'd curse it or something?"

"I don't really need it anymore," Madra truthfully admitted, "And it's not like I'll be able to play Quidditch anymore. Well, not unless I can convince Lord Arawn to start a team here in the Annwn that is. I suppose I could play it with you but did you actually remember to bring your own broom with?"

Draco gave him his _"Are you serious?" _look that clearly said that **leaving **his broomstick behind was one of the last things he would ever do. He also had his mother send along some Quidditch as well. With Potter here, he might as well make use of it. The blonde then asked Snape, "Wait, Potter no longer needs a broom?"

"We haven't yet tested whether or not he's faster with the broom or without, " Snape replied, amused by the interaction between the two teens. "Consider it an experiment of such."

'_Oh joy,' _Draco thought, _'A flying dog.' _before smirking at his rival and said, "Alright Potter, you're on."

Potter's answering smirk lightened his heart somewhat. Maybe a truce with the former Gryffindor could work after all.

III

**Names & Translations**

**Cŵn- **dogs (welsh)

**Dáiríre**- serious (Gaelic)

**Cneasaigh- **healer (Gaelic)

**Madra- **dog (Gaelic)

**Primas- **chief (welsh)

**Taoiseach- **chief (Gaelic)

**Taibhse- **ghost (Gaelic)

**Guaritore- **healer (Italian)

**Iompróir- **bearer/carrier (Gaelic)

**Asgre- **heart (welsh)

**Muirnín- **beloved (Gaelic)

**Chéile- **spouse/mate (Gaelic)

**Ælwyd- home (welsh)**


	8. Chapter 7: Aftershocks

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Still no notes…. They won't get posted until later!**

**I**

**I**

**I**

Chapter 7

Wotan was rather intrigued when he saw when he saw his son follow the Wybir and the boy under his care out into the field for what he could only presume was practice of some sort. The fact that the blond boy carried two broomsticks did not escape his attention; in fact their very presence is what drew him in the first place.

His son's dragonfly wings had dried nicely and shimmered like mother-of-pearl in the sunlight, and sometime after the last time he saw him and now, he had his long hair braided out of the way where it now flopped loosely against his back. He still couldn't believe how long that hair of his had been after Eileen's glamours had dropped. When Dia finally gotten around to cutting it, she had cut off about six feet of what was probably about nine or ten feet of hair. It was no wonder that the worst of Severus' headaches had stopped immediately afterwards it was cut.

His Mannau pack were also interested in what the trio were up to and he knew that he would not be able to persuade them from interfering for long. He knew that they were interested in the Wybir pup that had been assigned to his son and had heard in passing more than once in the last month that that right should have gone to one of their own. Arawn's reminder that there was no purifier amongst the pack had silenced most of their protests but there were still some protests amongst the youngest and eldest of the pack. A couple of them, like Taibhse, had adopted young Madra as one of their own though most of them still thought of the pup as the son of the Annwn's Gwynnwy. That alone confirmed that most of the Cŵn still saw themselves as one breed which was a bit of a relief to Gwyn, Arawn and himself. The last thing they needed was an inner-house war between the three Cŵn branches.

Madra did manage to make friends with several of his Mannau pups and one of them, Mhen, had grown quite infatuated with the young pair. Wotan knew that if Madra hadn't shown such interest in his young Severus that Mhen would have probably gone to pursue the Wybir pup. He was just relieved that she had found interest in another pup though he wondered what sort of pups to expect from a union with a Cu Síth. He never had to deal with green puppies before though he supposed that they would be rather pretty, maybe possessing the same coloring as a raven or crow.

Gwydion said that the Cu Síth puppies had leopard spots until they fully matured and he was going to have to take their owner's word on that. After all, the Cŵn pups had stripes.

The boys, for Madra had taken the form he had been born into, were racing one another to the field much to his and Severus' amusement and Wotan knew at that instant that there was a friendly rivalry between the boys that started long before the blonde's arrival at Ælwyd. The sprint between the boys triggered the Mannau pups to chase after them and with that the rest of the pack. Wotan sighed and followed after the hounds that had already caught up to or bypassed Severus.

"To what do we owe this visit?" His son greeted him as soon as he caught up.

"The hounds had apparently decided that they wanted to play," Wotan shrugged, redirecting his son's attention back to the boys and the black dogs that had caught up with the pair.

Severus sighed and said, "I wasn't really expecting to get off the ground this time."

The pair then turned when they heard a startled yelp to see a bewildered, protesting Draco on the back of one of the larger Mannau as the rest of the pack had taken to the sky in a game of tag. Madra had also returned to canine form to join them in their game.

Severus asked, amused, "How many more minutes should we wait before these eighteen hellhounds become fifty?"

"I believe the exact number of hounds here at the moment was something like eighty-seven although only a third of them are the age of your Madra or younger," Wotan answered, "Still, not long. Look." Severus turned to see the more curious of the hellhound pups coming to watch and the numbers were quickly growing. It was a Shuck puppy that broke the ranks of spectators first to join the chase and the rest followed suit immediately.

By the time the other owners of the packs had arrived to see what was going on, Draco had managed to convince them to fly under his own power (via Harry's broomstick) and all but the oldest of the hellhounds had already joined in what soon become a very elaborate game of fetch with the ball being a Snitch. Draco also had let a pair of Bludgers loose as well to make the game more interesting which to the hounds enjoyed and proceeded to use to show off their dodging abilities.

"What is all this?" Dia asked in curiosity, watching the hounds play.

Severus shrugged and said, "The boys wanted their Quidditch game. I believe that this is the end result."

"A what?' She asked, puzzled.

"An airborne Wizarding game that combines aspects from the Muggle sports of Handball and Cricket," Snape explained, knowing that they were also familiar with the Muggle World. "Wizards play it on broomstick."

"They are certainly enjoying it," Wotan remarked, before looking at Arawn. "You sure you won't let the boys start their own league, Uncle?"

Arawn sighed before going back to watching them play, "I'll think about it."

He then gave Severus a grim look before asking, "Have you been told about the significance of the bond you share with Madra yet?"

"Yes, Guaritore informed me yesterday while helping me access my elemental abilities," the iompróir said distastefully. "By becoming my asgre, he has agreed to be my protector during any future pregnancy and the 'Father' to any child I will be forced to bear for the elders in addition to his own.

"I take it also that the pup has been deemed by the elders to be the first then?"

"Yes," Wotan nodded, "They have also decided to speed up the process in light of Madra's recent reactions regarding you. They fear he's started his cycle as may of the other hounds have also begun reacting to it."

"Coincidence?" Dia asked, noting her cousin's dismay.

"Doubtful," Arawn answered, shaking his head. "They theorize that his actions are the result of the bond itself."

"So my cleansing triggered it, I take it?" Severus sighed, watching Madra play.

"It certainly seems that way," Wotan sighed. "As a result, we've decided to leave for Sifra earlier than we intended to. They want you to take the trial as soon as possible to avoid any further complications."

"By trial, you mean **that** trial?" His son turned abruptly to stare at him as he nodded. "The other will be…?"

"It hasn't been decided at this point, by we hope for both of your sakes that the elders take into consideration the strength of the asgre bond when making their final choice," Arawn told him. "In either case, we should hear the results sometime this evening."

"I just hope they know how to handle an outraged puppy should they choose wrongly," Severus sighed. No one chose to argue that.

They had already seen first hand what Madra was capable of.

_cwn_

"WHAT?"

Draco Malfoy's screech echoed through the halls turning heads of whoever happened in the area. In the room that the sound originated from there stood eight shocked hellhounds that were trying to regain their hearing back, a fuming Harry Potter and a laughing Severus Snape.

Draco looked between Harry and Snape repeating what his ears had told him, "Getting married? Sir, please don't tell me that you actually intend on going through with this nonsense?"

"Actually," Snape said smugly from where he sat in his reading chair. He had woken up a couple hours ago without problems but Cneasaigh wanted to keep him under observation which explained the presence of the hellhounds. "I believe I will."

"But-," Draco protested, still unable to even consider the concept of his godfather and Head of House married, even after knowing the relationship between Snape and his Wybir hound.

"They didn't tell you whom the lucky groom was did they?" Snape asked smoothly. He had known for years that once his wings came in that he would be expected to take a husband so the news was really no real surprise for him. It also helped that he had seen no one of real interest since Lily Evans.

But he smelled Frea's handiwork in there somewhere and he knew not to underestimate the female mastermind that his father married. He was still uncertain of what her ultimate goal was.

He also had a good idea of whom his groom would be and that was precisely why he was not sulking in a corner like his puppy or on the verge of pulling out his hair like his godson.

The sulking boy was presently in canine form and refusing to answer questions but the small shake of his head did in fact state that he did not know. It was probably best that Madra didn't. He didn't need his jealous pup killing any of the high-born suitors that were sure to come.

So when Wotan arrived a hour later to given them the results of their meeting, by the end of it, the one-eyed fae stood there dumbfounded as both teens passed out on the floor from shock and the iompróir dropped back into his chair laughing.

He definitely could handle being married to his puppy.

_cwn_

Faerie marriages did not follow the same principles as either Wizarding or Muggle ones on several points. There were no vows of faithfulness or everlasting devotion between happy couples nor was there ceremonies involving embarrassment or any form of alcohol or bleeding, even amongst the guests.

There was just one unspoken rule of marriage: the one you take into your life as your spouse must remain first in your heart no matter what obstacles may come between you.

In the Faerie Realms, being married meant taking and returning from the Trial of the Elements. This explained why two days after getting the announcement of their engagement, Harry and Snape found themselves at the foot of Mount Hukairya with nothing but the clothes on their back and each other's company.

"There are seven elements," Snape told his partner, "one for each of the founding principles of life: earth, air, fire, water, thunder, light and aether. We will be expected to go through all seven. The only thing Father would tell me about the trial is that it's meant to test us both physically and mentally. His only advice was to say that nothing we experience inside the cave is real and to remember that if nothing else. I do not know what we will find once inside so stay alert."

As Harry had already intended that, he nodded in determination. They entered the cave together, but once inside, Harry found himself completely alone.

"Sev?" He whispered to the air, confused and rapidly growing worried. Didn't Severus come in with him? He could pick up nothing in regards to his mate's presence and abruptly turned to check and see if he was behind him. But even the cave entrance behind him had vanished.

Harry swallowed and fought down his fear.

The trial had begun.


	9. Chapter 8: the trial part 1

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- There's two things I need to inform you before we begin. First is this chapter had been divided into two parts because of its length and content and while the other half of this chapter is complete, I have decided against posting that at this time. I'm still slightly annoyed at the lack of reviews my last chapter got (and will happily thank SeulWolfe for being the only one who DID!- so THANK YOU!), but the truth is that I wanted to post before the end of the week but real life and the complexity of the notes relating the trial were preventing it. So the presently unfinished notes will be posted with the next chapter. **

**The other is that due to the sheer number of POV changes that takes place between Harry and Snape in this chapter, Snape's POV will be written in italics while Harry's stays standard. I hope that will clear up some of the confusion that is sure to follow.**

**I**

**I**

**I**

Chapter 8

_Snape looked grimly around at the room, his senses on high alert for any sort of danger. It didn't help his puppy disappeared shortly after entering leaving him alone._

"_If that puppy went on ahead without me," Snape hissed under his breath knowing that there was a good chance that the trial actually required them to go separately. If that was the case, then he would be meeting his puppy at the end of the trial. He needed to hurry. He had no clue as to how far ahead Harry had gotten._

Harry ventured carefully into the cavern wondering what he would find here and where his asgre had wandered off to. He would have to find him then, and if he didn't enter the chamber than he had to be ahead of him. Maybe he could catch up if he hurried.

_The surrounding area was filled with bramble and rocks that he had never seen before. His first movement also proved that they were some sort of strangler vine. He most definitely did not want to get caught by them. It was time that he tested his wings._

The chamber was too quiet and he didn't like it one bit. Before him was a path directed by thorny brambles and jagged rocks, on the other side of the wavy path were a faint glow and the sense that Severus had gone on ahead of him. He had to hurry if he wanted to catch up.

However, the thorns were determined to trip him at every step and capture whatever was near. To Harry it seemed as if the path was purposely trying to close in on him and trap him. This only served to press his resolve.

If his asgre could make it through, then he would too.

_The flight was simple enough but the strain on his healing back was minimal. He wasn't expecting it to be a test on his reflexes and dodging abilities as the stalactites started raining down on him as the thorny vines tried to reach up and grab him. _

He was not expecting the jolt of pain that ran down his spine when the first set of thorns pierced his skin and actually stumbled from the shock as he looked down at his skin. There was no blood to be seen anywhere or even a sign of a scratch yet the feeling of the sensation that coursed through his body seconds before left an impact.

The pain felt good and his body was craving more of it. It was then Harry noticed that the brambles had stopped and his next hesitant step confirmed that they only moved when he did. The vine that caught his ankle sent another flash of burning pleasure and he went down without a fight.

'_Too much,' _he thought closing his eyes and trying to get his breath as the thorns sent another wave up and down his nerve endings.

The sensation felt like what his asgre's touches did to him and he froze up. This was not his beauty. He needed to find his Severus. He was up and out of the room before he even noticed.

_When he landed on the other side of the thorny maze, he turned around to glare at the obstacle before pressing on. The trials were only going to get harder the farther they head in. _

_cwn_

_Snape proceeded down the hall cautiously, on the lookout for anymore traps. The bramble-stalactite challenge in the previous room had certainly kept him on his toes and he knew there would be more ahead. The maze that was in the first room was just the start of what was to come._

Upon leaving the stone chamber, Harry found himself venturing down a tunnel whose end seemed to be a large waterfall. Through it he could see just a bare glimpse of what lay ahead. It looked like another chamber like the one he just left, only without the thorns.

_In front of him stood a tunnel that divided by a waterfall that felt wrong to his senses though he wasn't certain why. He decided to ignore it for now, looking for another route and coming up empty._

_Snape glared at the waterfall, realizing, "This is the Trial of Water. The other room must have been the trial of Earth." As he had managed to avoid most of the last trial, it would figure that he would that he could not avoid them all. He would have to go through the waterfall to advance._

But as he started approaching the waterfall, he could have sworn he saw his asgre on the other side being led by someone in a dark cloak. It also looked like he was badly injured.

_The spray of the waterfall was just enough for him to see what lay on the other side, a room similar to the one he had just left, but without the vegetation that made up the last room. He also saw out of the corner of his eye, his puppy limping out of sight with someone in a dark cloak._

As his Severus disappeared around the corner from view, Harry found himself running to where he last saw him only to find him gone.

"_Harry," he stepped through the waterfall and promptly lost sight of the wounded Wybir. He also lost sight of the room that he was suppose to be in. He found himself on an archway bridge with nothing underneath him but the sound of roaring white water. One wrong step would be the end of him if he became careless._

Harry found himself biting off a curse when he found what was in his place. Before him was a chasm in which he could not see the bottom. If he had not stopped at the last minute, he would have gone over the edge.

'_Eep,' _he thought, before looking back at the waterfall in realization, _'It was only an illusion…' _

How many more would he have to go through? He would have to be careful in case there were more traps ahead.

He needed to find Severus.

_He needed to hurry. His puppy wasn't going to wait._

_cwn_

Harry followed the course of the bridge until it led him to another chamber that flickered with candlelight from the braziers that were stationed by each of the eight doors present. In the center of the room was a stairwell leading down into the abyss guarded by a wall of fire. The doors that branched out were also hidden behind walls of fire.

"What is this?" Harry inquired, studying the room. "Is this part of the trial?" He then turned to look behind to find the door gone & realized that this was part indeed part of the trial along with the two other obstacles that he already gone through.

But what would he have to do here? How was he going to get through the fire?

Harry went to the door closest to him ignoring the hot flames for now, curious as to what was inside. Beyond the wall he saw Snape or rather, the Snape from his past. This was the Snape that had belittled him that first day of Potions Class during his first year at Hogwarts.

Harry backed away in shock, colliding into the brazier behind him and knocking it over. The fire promptly went out, taking the door with it.

_Snape warily entered the room of doors, braziers and firewalls, ignoring the stairwell in the middle of the room for the fire that blocked the way. The magic of the room was calling to him and he absently reached out for it._

"Another illusion?" the Wybir realized and looked for the other doors for answers. 'They must be illusions too so where is the right one?' Counting the number of passageways to the remaining braziers, he decided that one of them had to be real. He then proceeded to the nearest brazier and promptly tipped it over.

But no door disappeared.

"Did I do something wrong?" Harry asked himself, bending down to look for a switch of some sort that he might have stepped on accidentally but came up with nothing.

"Why didn't it go out?"

He then remembered that he had stood in from of the door and hesitantly approached, feeling both fearful and foolish. He didn't want to see what was past that door after the first one but at the same time should it prove to be nothing; he couldn't take the chance that it wasn't either.

The vision past the fire was also a memory but not one that he had ever witnessed before. A first, it looked like an image of his second year when he had played a prank in Potions class to distract Snape long enough for Hermione to get what they needed for the Polyjuice Potion they were brewing, yet at the same time it wasn't. For one, the twelve year old Harry looked sixteen. Another thing he noticed was that it was not the same potion he had brewed and when the firework exploded, the potion's reaction had been much different.

Three years ago, the Swelling Potion merely covered the Slytherins in goop that required a Deflating Potion to reverse, earning himself a vicious look from Snape in response. In this version, the damage area of the exploding potion had been much bigger, dousing everyone in the nearby area and having others dive for cover while causing the other potions in the cauldrons to erupt as well. Snape stood in the midst of this trying to regain control.

The Professor never saw the shard of exploded cauldron coming that took his life.

Harry backed away terrified. He would never have done such a thing, yet in a way, he had. How different was that scene from what he did in the past? What scared him was the look of satisfaction on the face of his sixteen year old self.

That Harry Potter had wanted the chaos to happen.

Suddenly, the Professor's lectures made a lot more sense.

Harry sat down where he stood, trying to regain his bearing as the door in front of him vanished. "What have we done?" Could his asgre really comfortable with being tied for life to such a thoughtless, reckless, arrogant child?

He needed to apologize and to do that; he needed to find his asgre.

"_Blue flames?" Snape inquired as a blue fireball jumped from the center firewall and settled happily on his wrist, now knowing everything was not as it seemed. The braziers in the room promptly vanished, taking with it the doors that lined the room. The fire then proceeded to show him images of his past, each more painful than the last._

_...Of his dealings with his family- the Princes and Tobias Snape whom abused him. _

Harry reluctantly made his way to the third door, pushing over the nearest brazier as he passed by.

The door gave him an unaltered series of images of his home life with the Dursleys before he moved on to the next one remembering to disable a brazier as he went past.

_...Of his dealings with the Marauders whom bullied him._

The fourth door's image froze him in his tracks. Before him stood a boy that looked a lot like him, his own age, but it wasn't him. At his side were three boys that were helping the look-alike taunt and hex a fourth boy in front of a crowd of onlookers. He saw the victim lash out in pain and embarrassment at the one nearest to him, a red-haired girl that had tried to protect him, driving her away with barely a protest.

Harry watched this with growing horror as only one adult stepped in to stop this. The other Professors then proceeded to punish the victim for what Harry felt was a rather mild offense while letting the bullies talk their way out of punishment. He knew that the rivalry at Hogwarts between Gryffindor and Slytherin was bad, but not that bad.

It was the faces that had horrified him.

The Slytherin victim had been his beloved Severus Snape.

The adult that had saved him had been Hagrid- Harry would have to thank him for that the next time he saw him.

The red-headed girl had been his mother, Lily Evans.

The Gryffindor bullies had been the traitor, Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew; his former DADA professor, Remus "Moony" Lupin; his godfather, Sirius "Padfoot" Black; and his father, James "Prongs" Potter, better known to everyone as the Marauders.

They had all been people he looked up to.

His beloved's insults made a lot more sense now. It was a good thing he was never returning to Hogwarts again or there would be Hell to pay.

"Four more to go," he said shaking as he slowly approached the next one.

_...Of his dealings with Harry Potter and the Gryffindors whom he in turn bullied. _

The fifth one proved to be no easier as it revealed to him a pair of prophecies that no one ever told him about. It was those prophecies that had turned the Longbottoms and the Potters into Death Eater targets. It was his beloved that had given Voldemort the first half of one prophecy on Dumbledore's order. Wormtail had given the Dark Lord another complete prophecy before directing him to where he could find the Potter family, also on Dumbledore's command.

Harry was going to kill the Headmaster the next time he saw him.

_...Of his dealings with the Death Eaters and Voldemort whom tortured him._

The sixth door confirmed what Harry already knew about Snape and Dumbledore. Dumbledore had indeed cast a number of charms on Snape to make him more manageable and easier to control. Harry had not expected the charms to be cast when his asgre was only ten years old nor the ones he cast on Eileen Snape as well.

Dumbledore would not receive a quick and painless death.

_...Of his dealings with the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore whom merely used him._

The seventh door revealed the Minister's part in his banishment, enabled on upon by a woman by the name of Delores Umbridge. This did not really surprise Harry as he knew Fudge was corrupt, and he had seen the woman before. She was at the trial.

He would ask Draco when he got back to the village. The Slytherin boy would know more about her. Harry knew that the blond wasn't completely ignorant on the politics in the Ministry. Lucius Malfoy would have seen to that.

_...Of his dealings with Lily Potter nee Evans and Eileen Snape nee Prince whom saved him but never loved him despite his affection for them both._

"Last door," Harry thought as he pushed the last brazier over as he moved before the final door. Only the flame of the last two firewalls lit the chamber now.

What he saw was an argument between Dumbledore and his Aunt Petunia about Dudley and him ten years ago. Dumbledore threatened her with the safety of her family if she did not do what he said.

Harry sat down as the scene continued to play out. The Evans family was a Wizarding family, a powerful family with ties to the war and to Grindelwald. Grindelwald had sent them into hiding where they pretended to be Muggles but Dumbledore had found them first and sealed away their magic, taking their fortunes as his own.

He had missed Lily by accident and decided to use her instead and afterwards her son.

As the scene reached its conclusion, Harry knew why no one mentioned this happening. They had been Obliviated-

By Dumbledore.

Harry approached the stairwell as the final firewall died. He would ask Dumbledore why the Evans name scared him so much.

His answer would determine just how long he lived.

_As the firewall vanished to allow him access, he heard a voice, "Fire is a light that purifies the darkness. It is both a great healer and a great destroyer._

"_River Child, when the time comes, will you be amongst those that get burned?"_

_Snape demanded, "Who are you?"_

_His only answer was silence and darkness as the little blue fireball disappeared as well._

_Maybe he would find his answers before him._


	10. Chapter 9: the trial part 2

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- The second half of the trial does not possess as many POV changes as the first, thankfully, so they have been labeled accordingly. I apologize for the confusion the last chapter was sure to cause.**

**I don't know when the next chapter of tGEW will be posted. My life has gotten rather busy as of late.**

**I**

**I**

**I**

Chapter 8

Harry found himself in a dead end hallway with eight doors, each a different color.

'_One of these door has to be the right door,' _he thought and opened the door nearest to him, a bright yellow door. Beyond the door were mounds of gold, jewels, sickles, Knuts and galleons as far as the eye could see.

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed, looking at all the money. However, it wasn't his and he saw neither his asgre nor a hidden door so he closed the door behind him without a thought.

_ss_

Snape entered the hallway of doors, already weary of what was before him. Before him were eight doors on either side of him, however he had a feeling these were not what he was looking for. He ventured to the end of the hall where he found a pure black door and went through it.

_hp_

The brown door Harry opened next produced the most wonderful of smells and once opened found a seven course meal waiting for him. But as he was neither hungry nor had he seen either Snape or another door leading elsewhere, this one was closed as well.

Behind the blue door he found only a comfy looking bed and a hand servant eager to wait on him, but it wasn't what he wanted either so he moved on.

What Harry found behind the green door was something that could have appeared out of the Mirror of Erised. Playing in the room was a couple of children as their mother and father watched over them with delighted faces. Harry recognized both adults as **his** parents but neither one of the children were him.

His family had moved on without him. He slammed the door behind him when he left.

The pink door he opened next and once he didn't as he saw his asgre entangled in the arms of someone nearly Snape's one height as the sounds of what clearly pleasure that escaped the man he wanted. Harry saw silver hair between the legs of what was his but before he could go and force the man off the iompróir, the door slammed shut in his face and refused to open again.

Harry sank to the ground, feeling torn as he willed away his body's reaction to the scene with a vivid image of his Uncle Vernon, Dumbledore and Wormtail wearing a thong and nothing else. His mind however kept returning to the scene that he had just seen. If Harry didn't know better, he could have sworn that that man that had been with Snape was Madra but that shouldn't have been possible.

Unless like everything else, what he saw was just an illusion.

'_Yes,' _Harry decided that was indeed what he saw. The man he adored would have never surrendered to anyone else so easily.

He would have to hurry if he wanted to play that scene out in real time.

The next door was bright purple and showed him an image of what life would have been like as a Slytherin and the abuse he would have suffered at the hands of his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Unfortunately it showed him every fight the Trio had with Draco Malfoy with his and the blond boy's roles being reversed. It was him that had been punched by Hermione in their third year and turned into a ferret by the fake Moody three months later.

As Harry closed this door behind him, he rested once more against the doorframe lost in thought. After witnessing the potions explosion illusion in the fiery door upstairs followed by this newest vision, he had to admit that his asgre was probably right.

He was arrogant.

In addition to his beauty, Draco now needed to be apologized to as well.

There were two doors left, a red one and a white one. Harry chose the red one and immediately wished he hadn't, because it showed a scene where he had rescued his asgre from some men that had attacked him. He had killed Snape's attackers in the bloodiest way possible.

It was not the blood that had frozen his blood; it was the look on his beauty's face. The Wybir in this scenario had not made it in time to protect him.

His asgre had not been lying there unconscious. He was dead.

"Sev…," Harry whispered, turning at a run. He was through the white door in an instant, barely registering that he had finally gone through the right door.

He needed to find his Severus before he lost his nerve. He couldn't do this anymore.

_hp_

Harry found himself in a room of doors and noise those the chambers looked no different than the ones that he had ventured in before but seemed to flicker under its own power. The room unnerved Harry; he swore he heard of not only the voices of people he either knew or thought he knew but of electricity.

The charge in the air was strong.

He wandered aimlessly through the doors, trying to figure out how to proceed when the face in the open door before him froze him in his tracks. When that face called out to him, he could not help but reach for it.

"Mom?"

He did not receive a response as he was thrown backwards by a major shock from the doorway before the figure in the door vanished and another took its place.

Harry shakily got to his feet and whispered, "Another illusion?"

He knew that while in the Fae Realms that there was a chance that he might see the spirits of his deceased parents and knew deep inside that he was just fooling himself. Maybe though, he could talk Lord Wotan or his Master Arawn into seeing them.

In the meantime, he still had to find his asgre. He thought he had heard his voice amongst all the noise, now he just had to find it.

_ss_

Snape found himself standing a couple steps away from the doorway that had led him here and took the time to look around it as if it was his first time. In many ways, it was as his young Wybir was standing at his side like a statue lost in a deep sleep or trance. The chamber itself was small and unadorned with the only thing of interest being the three foot long crystal that floated mid-air in the center of the room. He swore there was a blue fireball glowing in the center and wondered what it really was.

He then heard, "You're not supposed to be awake!"

Snape glared at the crystal where he suspected the childish voice originated from & demanded, "Who are you and what do you want from us?" He now understood what the floating crystal signified; before him was the prison of a condemned spirit.

"_I am Arwain and this is my domain. You have interfered with the trial!" _the childish voice screeched and he had to keep himself from wincing. It didn't stop him from returning back to where Harry stood, ignoring the shouting thrown at him.

"_Stop! What are you doing?"_

"Harry," Snape whispered into the young man's ear, "it's time to wake up. Come back to me, puppy." When that didn't work, he decided to try a different approach. "Let me see what you see.

"Legilimens!"

"_No! Stop!"_

_hp_

It proved to a rather futile gesture as the people in the doors changed every couple minutes and after twenty minutes of no luck and two more brief electrocutions, Harry found himself camped out in front of a door awaiting his asgre's arrival. Ten minutes and another short shock later, the man he was looking for arrived. The moment he reached for the door, the fifty doors became ten but each of them had the same face.

Severus Snape was smirking back at him.

"_Come to me, my puppy…"_

Harry felt the fur on the back of his neck rise in anticipation as he looked at the doors. All of the Snape-doors said the words but only one of them had spoken.

That one was the one he needed to find.

He found it on the first try and went quickly through the door left behind.

He was getting closer to his goal and his mate.

_hp_

The chamber was filled with lights glowing from ever thing, shape and form. Harry found himself drawn to the largest of lights, a giant crystal standing in the center of the small chamber. What he saw surprised him.

It was an image, not of the past but of the future. A life he might share with his asgre one of happiness and joy, and while the thought of spending the rest of his life in the arms of his pregnant mate while their children played amongst the hellhound puppies too young for training was a pleasant dream, it was not for him. There were too many things he needed to do first.

The prophecies that affected him and everyone around him had to come first. He would not put his family or his asgre in anymore danger to satisfy the whims of the Wizarding World but he wasn't going to be their whipping boy anymore either. He would take care of Voldemort on his own terms or not at all. The Wizarding World no longer had a say in what he did anymore.

A door opened and Harry took it. This was the real door to his future.

_cwn_

Harry found himself in a stone chamber, identical to the first but different in so many different ways. The room was bare except for his asgre, a large crystal with a blue flame sparkling inside that stood in the middle of the room and behind him a door that led to the world outside of Mount Hukairya.

What stunned him was that he was seven steps from the door leading outside.

"Welcome back to us," Snape focused the Wybir's bewilderment to himself.

"Was that real?" Harry asked, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. "Or was all that an illusion?"

"A bit of both I would think," Snape answered. "You were in the deepest reaches of your mind."

Harry wondered what that meant when he heard a voice that sounded remarkably like a small child said, _"Stubborn brats."_

"That is Arwain whom I believe is the guide of this test," Snape told him when the Wybir pup started looking around for the source of the disembodied voice. "The poor thing is still rather annoyed at me, I believe."

"What did you do?" Harry asked, wondering where Arwain was.

"_The brat broke free from the test half way through it," _Arwain angrily commented, _"Not that he was playing by the rules to begin with."_

Snape merely shrugged, telling Harry, "I am a master of the mind arts."

Harry looked at his mate bewildered. _He didn't finish the trial? _"Are we married then?" he stammered out. He didn't want to lose his asgre due to his stubborn headedness.

"_There are seven trials," _Arwain snarled, _"and seven there will remain!" _

Harry promptly screamed then collapsed where he stood. Snape quickly rushed over to where his pup lay twitching before losing consciousness. Seeing no injuries, Snape rose to face the crystal, demanding, "What did you do to him?"

"_The child is a ghost just like me," _the crystal answered. _"He is subject to the Attero Phasmatis just like I am."_ Snape grimaced; he had forgotten that hellhounds also fall prey to the ghost regulating spells.

"You would dare use the banishment spell on him?" He demanded, enraged. That he would not allow. However, he was weaponless and wasn't quite sure what the enraged spirit had in mind.

"_You, who would not allow the rules, dare to demand anything from me?" _the spirit snarled.

"Your anger is not with him, but me," Snape retorts. "Let him go."

Even unconscious, the scream from Harry was painful to Snape's ears as the vengeful spirit smugly remarked, _"You are in no position to be giving me orders."_

"What do you want for his life then?" Snape retorts. "Do you want me on my knees begging for you to spare him?"

"_Like you did for the life of the Potter woman? For your mother's life? Don't be ridiculous," _the spirit retorts. _"You've been embarrassed by your owners quite enough already. I've already seen your soul. The trial was meant for you to see what you truly are. In that aspect you failed."_

Snape proceeded to sit down, wondering what his curiosity and pride had cost him this time. Surely not the existence of the child he had spent his entire life trying to protect?

"What do you want then?" He whispered.

"_My freedom," _the spirit said.

"I cannot," Snape answered, buying for time. As much as he adored his puppy, the cost was too great. He could not set lose a soul bound for Tartarus.

"_You did it before," _the spirit protested_. "Remember the gate?"_

'_Ah, so that was what greeted him during the Fire Trial…' _Snape realized and told the spirit, "I refuse."

"_Then he dies," _the spirit said and Harry screamed. Snape knew it would happened as he bent down to hold the puppy close, his magic instinctively seeking out to shield the puppy from the pain by taking the damage into himself.

If they were going to die then they would go together.

The moment Snape joined Harry in unconsciousness, his magic lashed out at everything in the chamber.

He did not see his Father's arrival on the scene nor the chaos that followed.

**I**

**I**

**I**

**Notes**

**Mount Hukairya **is the highest pinnacle of the sacred mountain, **Hara Berezaiti **(Avestan for High Watchtower), of the Buddhist faiths. Stars and planets are said to evolve around this sacred place, evil is forbidden entry, and the mountains and rivers originate from there. Hukairya is Persian for "of good deeds" and is a place of fertility. _(A/N- As the Buddhist religion is known for self-enlightenment, I decided to use the meanings of the seven major chakras to design the marriage trials faced. The descriptions below are listed in the order the trial was taken.)_

**Muladhara (root/base chakra)- **_**color- red, yellow or gold/element- earth… **_It represents instinct, survival, lust, obsession, sexuality (greatest joy, natural pleasure, controlling passions, blissful concentration) and stability as well as the 4 petaled lotus and the gonads.

**Sadhisthana, Swadhisthana or Svadhisthana (sacral chakra)- **_**color- orange or white/element- water… **_It represents relationships, violence/addiction, baser needs/pleasure (affection, pitilessness, self-destructiveness, delusion, suspicion), joy/enthusiasm, creativity and sexuality/celibacy/fertility as well as the 6 petaled lotus and the sacrum.

**Manipura (navel/solar plexus chakra)- **_**color- yellow or red /element- fire… **_It represents spiritual ignorance, personal power, thirst, jealousy, treachery, shame, fear, disgust, delusion, foolishness, opinion, introversion, transition/growth and sadness as well as the 10 petaled lotus and the adrenal gland.

**Anahata, Anahata-puri or padma-sundara (heart chakra)- **_**color- green or pink/element- air… **_It represents complex emotions (lust, fraudulence, indecision, repentance, hope, anxiety, longing, impartiality, arrogance, incompetency, discrimination & defiance), compassion/unconditional love/tenderness, equilibrium, rejection, well-being and passion/devotion as well as the 12 petaled lotus and the thymus gland.

**Vishuddhi or Vishuddha (throat chakra)- **_**color- sky blue, smoke, or turquoise /element- space/void/akasha… **_It represents communication, growth/thought, security/independence, self-expression as well as the 16 petaled lotus and the thyroid gland.

**Ajñi or Bindu (brow/third eye chakra)- **_**color- dark blue, indigo or white/element- light … **_It represents the mind, clarity/truth, balance, inner guidance, and intuition as well as the 2 petaled lotus and the pineal gland.

**Sahasrana (crown chakra)- **_**color- purple or gold/element- none/nirvana… **_It represents inner wisdom, oneness/being, consciousness, and karma as well as the 1000 petaled lotus and the pituitary gland.


	11. Chapter 12: Recovery

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Sorry for the delay… hopefully the next chapter does not take as long to get up.**

**i**

**i**

**i**

Chapter 9

Wotan was quick to catch his unconscious son as the crystal containing the imprisoned spirit shattered under the iompróir's expanded power. His most faithful hounds were already moving to stop the spread of the damage; Geri had gone to see if the crystal could be salvaged and Freki had gone for one of the healers. He was not certain if the injuries that the two had taken were within Taibhse's capabilities, but the strongest healers in his realm served under his beloved Freya and would not be available until arrival in Sifra.

Geri and Freki were his two oldest hounds and their warg blood contributed much to the Mannau pack's strength and with Munin and Hugin as his eyes and ears, Wotan had spent the last eons unmatched on the battlefield. But having the hounds and their Cŵn descendents at his call for situations like this only ensured that the crisis was concluded sooner. Even knowledge beforehand did little to prevent a crisis from occurring.

"Are they going to be alright?' Wotan lifted his head to see that the blond human boy had followed Freki and Taibhse back and was now hovering uncomfortably in the entrance way observing. Taibhse had rushed first to the Wybir pup before checking the unconscious iompróir.

"Taibhse?" Wotan asked, also wanting to know the Mannau's findings after seeing him muttering something while shaking his head. The hound quickly pulled away before addressing his lord.

"Amadán," the hound softly cursed before answering his lord. "I'll need the healer's help in Sifra to untangle all of this but it would seem that the young prince managed to blast their asgre bound open to its widest extent."

"Is that bad?" The boy timidly asked.

"To the pup and your godfather, not in the least," The Mannau wryly answered, "But there will be a lot of angry Fae shortly after they hear of this. By forcing the bond, the young prince has taken a chosen."

The boy looked uncomprehending at him so Wotan decided to clarify, "An iompróir's expected duty is as the surrogate parent of the Fae that are unable to bear any children, as children are a very rare and precious commodity to us. It is expected that at some point in the iompróir's long lifespan that they will take a lover and create a family of their own, but this usually after bearing several children for the needy. The mate of a retired iompróir is called a chosen."

"Wait," The boy stared at them disbelieving, "Retired?"

"That's right," Taibhse answered. "There's a funny thing concerning iompróir biology; in exchange for heightened fertility, the precipitants eligible are in a very select group."

"So…," the boy thought this over, "does that mean that my godfather now can only bear the children of his chosen?"

"That's right," Taibhse said, then glared at the remains of the central crystal were the guide would have been, "Milord, there also was an _Attero_ used here. It was used on the pup. The young master managed to deflect the worst of it, but they both should wake before we arrive in the city."

"From the energy signature, it was Arwain's doing, milord," Geri told them as he returned to his master's side. "Not that there is anything left of that lich. The unexpected outburst shattered the containment core that held it."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer sadist," his partner chuckled.

"Gentlemen, play nice," Wotan told them. "I trust you both to finish investigating here and then report to back to me in Sifra. I will need to give those findings to the Council as soon as possible."

"Yes, milord!" Both hounds said quickly, abruptly leaving the man to his thoughts.

He needed something to tell the elders and soon. He just hoped that the fallout caused by this wouldn't be as bad as he feared it to be.

Maybe she could help.

_cwn_

The journey to the city was swifter that he thought it to be and although the injured iompróir and his hound did not awaken before their arrival in the Faerie capital, both were sleeping a bit easier. When they had arrived in the white city, it had been nighttime and he had been usher off to bed while the healers tended to Potter and Snape. Draco had known that the moment that he arrived that he would once again be sharing a room with someone for his own protection, but he had thought that it would be with his godfather or one of the hounds. Instead the hounds led him away from where they were being taken to a small hut surrounded by flowering shrubbery.

Shaking his head in scorn at all the feminine touches to the property, Draco marched to the door intending to fall fast asleep and then get out of there as soon as possible for another room. He barely got through the door before he froze in his tracks when pale blue eyes met his own silver gaze.

Draco swallowed before taking a step forward. Sleep was the last thing on his mind now. If he was lucky, he would get some answers instead.

_cwn_

Harry up the moment his head hit the bed the bed and turned to watch as the Fae settled his asgre into the adjoining bed a couple feet away. He didn't recognize the room and guessed that they were now somewhere in Sifra. The Wybir then proceeded to watch as the Fae finally departed before attempting to sit up and promptly wished he had not.

His entire body was sore; and while it did not hurt as badly as the Cruciatus, it hurt far more than simple muscle strain and after looking over at the iompróir, his heart hurt also. His asgre- no, his **mate**- was once again bed-ridden and it was his fault.

"Sev…," he whispered, but when his mate gave no response, sighed. He wanted his mate but the iompróir was out of reach. Deciding that there was only one way of solving that, Harry carefully rose to his feet, and after a false start, proceeded to struggle to his asgre's bedside after taking his hellhound form. The consummation of their marriage would have to happen another day.

Harry could hardly wait for that moment.

_cwn_

Snape woke shortly after midnight to the feel of the warm body and magic of his pup, reassuring him that he wasn't alone and lulling him back to sleep for the rest of the night. He would awaken several hours later to the presence of another unexpected but calming presence that he had not experienced in a while and the missing presence of his Wybir pup. He knew that neither his uncle nor father would allow him nor his godson to be unprotected and momentarily wondered which of the hounds was on guard duty. As one of the few persons that he had regular contact was said godson, he suspected that the hound on duty was Mhen.

The one standing at his bedside was not Draco but someone equally familiar to him. His gaze quickly honed in on the object resting her dainty hands.

Before him was his missing wand.

"Hello, Cissa," he remarked warily, "to what do I owe this visit?" He knew he had invited her to talk, but wasn't expecting her so soon.

Narcissa merely smiled back at him and he immediately realized that she would not make this conversation any easier on him. He sighed and decided to play things her way for now as she finally spoke, "Well, you did invite me. Am I not allowed to pay the godfather of my only son a visit?"

"Of course, you may. I was just not expecting you so soon," he answered.

He would have said more but she had beaten him to it, "I apologize for that, but I thought you would want this back. I told the elves that came collecting your things that I would deliver this to you personally as I would be seeing you shortly."

"Indeed," He answered. If she was going to be this way, he could play also. "I must thank you for looking after me for the duration of my stay at the manor."

His response drew what was probably genuine surprise from her as the pale blue widened slightly. "You were conscious throughout that?"

He smiled smugly at her response, before answering it with one of his own. "Only during the second half of my stay, I'm afraid. It would seem that my soul stone had been delivered to a capable guardian and he was able to speed up my recovery somewhat."

"Harry Potter was a capable guardian?" She repeated in scorn and disbelief, surprising him slightly with her knowledge. He knew that he should not be surprised. The house elf that had placed the stone in his pup's care had probably reported back to her after the delivery.

He then felt a little twinge in his gut but before he could question it, the chamber door opened and his Wybir pup trotted in still in canine form. It had taken him a few days before he had figured out the hound was able to able doors but seeing it in action was always rather amusing. As it was, his pup's ears had perked up at their voices but given how swiftly his approach was, his pup obviously didn't trust the woman.

Half of the time, neither did he. There was a reason Narcissa Malfoy _née_ Black was sorted into Slytherin and it had little to do with her pretty face. She was one of the most intelligent women he had ever known, second only to Lily Evans and Hermione Granger, but he had yet to find a match in her cunning. The only that came close to her level of manipulating circumstances to their advantage was Albus Dumbledore.

His pup has made it to the bed and just hopped onto it, rubbing his head against him as he settled down at his side. Narcissa stared at his pup in shock, whispering, "Is that… Potter?"

"Indeed," he agreed as he petted the attentive hound. "I take it that you have spoken with Draco then."

"Yes," she said immediately. "My baby will be staying with me throughout our duration here."

"I see," he responded warily. Perhaps the change of the sleeping arrangements would be for the best, especially in the next few days. He knew that his pup would not hold off wanting to consummate their marriage and he did not care much for someone viewing their activities from the shadows.

Narcissa was not through though and while her words were directed at him; her gaze remained on that of his pup, and "Kreacher spoke to me before my arrival in the Realms. Dumbledore's Order is aware of both of your presence in the Faerie Realms." Although Madra's came up at that comment, it did not surprise his mate.

"I am aware," he answered. The letter for Fleur and Bill had been most informative regarding the happenings of the Order although he had a feeling there was more left unsaid.

"He also informed me that the Order knows about your soul stone," Narcissa grimly stated. She was not surprised by the angry growl that had escaped from Madra or his own dismayed hiss. "I may not know exactly how important that information is to you, but I do not like the fact that information seemed to have pleased Dumbledore."

He could no longer afford to play, "What is it that you want in exchange for this knowledge?"

"For this, none," she answered. "Looking after my baby was more than enough and as I have my own debts to pay off to the Fae, I can not afford to be greedy."

"Then this information is payment for a debt?" He asked, now understanding her motives. She was recruiting allies and contacts and this free favor of hers was just another bid for that much needed support.

"Some thing like that," she said loftily, neither agreeing to nor dismissing the claim. "As you well know, I have no love for our dear Headmaster and would like to get back at him anyway that I can. Draco told me of Potter's ability to cleanse his soul of all spell residues.

"Would it be too much of a favor to ask if he would do the same for me?"

Now that was certainly unexpected and given his pup's rapid change to his human form, Madra thought the same. As Narcissa proceed to stare at his silver-haired mate with something that looked like a cross between awe and shock, he decided to redirect her attention back towards himself.

He did not want her interest on his pup this early in the game.

"May I ask why you want this?"

Narcissa sighed before answering him, "There are several reasons actually. My body has received a lot of curse damage between my parents and 'loving' husband, as well as his precious lord, and I fear that there might be more damage than what I know. I also fear that the spell damage is part of what shattered Bella's mind."

"Bella?" His pup asked, puzzled.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," he clarified. "She is the older sister of Narcissa and Andromeda, and cousin to your god-mutt. If you have not heard this from him already, Bella is presently serving in Azkaban along with her Death Eater husband and brother-in-law for the torture and attempted murders of the Longbottoms." His pup stared back at him wide-eyed as he continued, "She has never been what I would call stable yet she is also one of the most powerful witches I have ever met."

"Bella was also in Hogwarts unsupervised for several years before my sister and I attended," Narcissa supplied. "I was in my fifth year when Severus and your parents started attending."

His pup snorted that information but he was not so skeptical, "I see Draco told you of the spell findings as well."

"It is why I am insisting on the cleansing," Narcissa told them. "Dumbledore has always kept a close watch on the Black family. I'm not sure what he was looking for, but he seems to found it."

"You mean a follower in the 'blood traitors'?" His pup said coldly.

Narcissa met his words with laughter, not scorn, surprising them both. She then said, "You will do fine, Potter. I can see now how you were matched with Severus." She then rose from her seat, leaving his wand in her place.

"I was originally sent here to deliver a message and it about time that I carry out that part. Severus, the Lady Freya wishes to see you in the morning." She then exits the room leaving behind an angry hound and a bemused iompróir.

"I hate that woman!" His pup growled while he retrieved his wand from the chair and basked in the feel of its familiar presence. They had been separated for far too long. He then noticed that his pup was staring at him enviously.

"Don't worry, pup," he told him, "We will see to your wand as well." he knew that he should have expected the smile that followed the sappy comment, but the brilliance of it.

His puppy was making him soft.

"I will have to clean her," his pup then said sadly. "It's the only way I can make things up to you."

Now that was unexpected. "How do you figure that?" He asked, puzzled.

"Because it's my fault that they found out about your soul stone," the Wybir answered. "If Ron and Hermione had never known that I had it, the Order would never have found out."

He grimaced, as he pulled his depressed mate to him. "The stone is the least of our worries at the moment. I'm more concerned about the rest of what she has implied."

"What do you mean?" His pup looked at him confused.

"Kreacher has been supplying Narcissa with information about the Order," he answered. "There's no telling how this going on or how much of it has been related to the Dark Lord. Grimmauld Place is no longer safe. The Order has a leak."

Harry went very pale at the news. The question now is what they could do about it.

i

i

i

**Names & Translations**

**Bren- **ash (welsh)

**Dáiríre**- serious (Gaelic)

**Taibhse- **ghost (Gaelic)

**Cenau- **puppy (welsh)

**Spéir- **sky (Gaelic)

**Madra- **dog (Gaelic)

**Iompróir- **bearer/carrier (Gaelic)

**Asgre- **heart (welsh)

**Brenin- **king (welsh)

**Hugin- **thought/mind (old Norse)

**Munin- **memory/mind (old Norse)

**Wotan- **fury/excitement/mind/poetry (old German)

**Geri- **greedy/ravenous (old Norse/old German)

**Freki- **covetous/desirous/audacious/avaricious/greedy/gluttonous (old Norse/old German/old English)

**Freya- **beloved lady/wife/to propose for marriage/to love (various Scandinavian languages)

**Notes**

**Hugin(n) and Munin(n) **are known better as the ravens Thought and Memory that accompanied Odin on his travels and he used their eyes to keep watch over his territories. Ravens (as scavengers frequently known for dining on carrion) are generally associated with death, not only in Norse but Native American folklore, and in both mythos do the raven and the crow have the ability to see through the veil of life and death.

**Geri and Freki **are the two wolves that Odin used as hunting dogs. The origin of wargs is believed to be contributed to them. Geri is often associated with Garmr, a Cerberus-like hellhound mentioned during the Ragnarok legend. _(The irony of this is that the name Garmr is often used in conjuction with Fenrir/Fenris, the great wolf that slays Odin during the Ragnarok battle only to be killed by one of Odin's sons. Garmr was slain by the mortally wounded war god Tyr in this battle, but as to whom Tyr was is vague as Odin often replaced Tyr in the legends. Some legends claim that Tyr is one on Odin's sons while others say he is his grandfather but both agree that Tyr lost an arm to Fenris.) _

**Valkyries are the female warriors of Norse mythos serving under Odin that were charged with bringing the souls of valiant warriors to Valhalla, the banquet hall of heroes. While the legends never said exactly how many Valkyrie there are, one suggests that there were at least 27. The most famous of the Valkyries is Hildr (also known as Brunhilde or Brunhilda) but the legends also associate the war goddess, Freyja, (often interchanged with Frigg, Odin's wife) and the healing Goddess, Eir, (one of Frigg's handmaidens) with Valkyrie. In art, mythos and religion combine once more as Valkyries are strongly associated with swans and feathered wings are part of their battle costume. The end result is often angel-like in appearance.**


	12. Chapter 11 last night

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- Sorry again for taking so long, but good news is that I decided to keep posting here so… *grins***

**I know it's a little short, but it can't be helped.. The next one should be longer- I promise.**

Chapter 12

Ron could have thought of better things to do than to follow around a giant that was really a three headed dog in disguise. They met up with Tonks in Muggle London and get a portkey in form of an old top hat to arrive here, but fear was the only thing that was keeping him from voicing the doubts and complaints he was still feeling. With Hermione and the two remaining Marauders there he was not making the venture alone although Neville had decided not to go and Luna said that she had things to do but would with them later. What was more worrisome to him was the way they had looked at his little sister when they left.

Ginny Weasley did not deserve to be looked at like that. That particular stare was meant for Death Eaters, spiders and Slytherins. Still, he could not deny that she needed watching after and the twins wouldn't be able to do it for much longer. They were making it their mission in life to annoy the two Ministry Professors in way they could, and would most likely be expelled soon if the pair had their way.

He couldn't stay either while Harry needed him. There is no telling what could happen to his best mate without Hermione and him there to watch his back and Malfoy and Snape were already there. The two Slytherins were probably already trying to make life as miserable for him as they could.

"Welcome to Maeshowe," Tonks cheerfully announced as they haphazardly arrived and untangled themselves from the pile of arms and legs typical of their portkey landings. If only he had the grace to land on his feet as his parents and older siblings did...

They were standing at the base of a steep stone line grass-topped hill in the middle of a field and Ron thought for a moment he saw water also. Maybe there was a loch nearby? Hermione looked at her a bit skeptically, before saying, "Maeshowe is suppose to be a tourist spot but… Where are all the people?"

Fluffy merely chuckled, "They are at the false exit on the other side. You really think that our ancestors would let not Fae into the Underhill? Besides, the Muggles only gather normally at the solstice. We're several months too early for that."

"But…" Hermione began to protest so Lupin bent over to whisper to a few words in her ear to reassure her and made Ron grin.

"They are called Notice-me-Not and Muggle repelling charms," the werewolf said, amused before asking Fluffy. "I'm presuming that we're using the Maeshowe hill because it is closest to Sifra?"

"Nope," the hellhound said cheerfully. "Just the closest to Hogwarts. To get to Sifra we'd need to use an Irish mound. Didn't think ye lads and lasses would want to venture that far…"

"What?" Multiple protests sounded. "We're going to Ireland?"

"If Mum finds out about this, she'll kill us…," Ron muttered, ignoring the bemused looks that the adults were throwing him. He was already scared of the howler from his mother that was sure to follow once she learned that he was no longer at Hogwarts.

"You can always go back, you know," Tonks reminded him.

"No, we're going. We got this far; we are not backing down," Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him to where Fluffy stood, tapping rocks hidden in the long grass.

Ron had to agree. They got this far by blackmailing the adults. It would be rather stupid to quit now while there was a stone passage ahead leading into the depth of the earth and his companions already venturing forward.

"Hey, wait for me!' He yelled, running after them.

If there were any spiders in there, they better get out of the way of Ron Weasley.

_cwn_

The silence that spread through the room for the last hour Harry found unnerving and would rather do far more interesting things with his mate now that they had the time. They were not needed anywhere until morning so they had time to play. His pack had already taken into account the marriage and suspended his lessons until their return to Ælwyd.

His Sev seemed more interested in solving the problem with security of Grimmauld Place than him and that would not do. There was something he could do to put his asgre's mind back where it should belong: on him.

"Darby!"

Purple eyes widened as the familiar pop of a summoned house-elf resonated in the air before turning to the little elf dressed in an expensive pillowcase bearing Gryffindor colors chattering excitedly and threw its arms around the Wybir.

Laughing, he untangled himself from the eager little elf's arms before saying, "Darby, I need you to go to Kreacher and find out what he told Narcissa Malfoy, and then ask the other elves how much she told the Death Eaters."

Darby quickly reminded him, "Darby will do that, but Kreacher does not trust other elves, Master Leigheas. Kreacher's family hurt Kreacher too much. Kreacher's family made Kreacher a bad elf."

"Yes, but he will talk if you tell him that I sent you," Harry had to agree with the elf. He saw the madness in Kreacher's eyes during his short stay at the Order's Headquarters and had attempted to undo the damage while there. The hatred the elderly little elf felt for his house tenants had anchored deep in his soul and Sirius' cruel treatment of him undid much of that healing.

All Harry had been able to accomplish before his banishment was wipe away whatever hatred Kreacher felt for Fleur, Sev and him and that only succeeded because of the close ties they had with the Faerie Realms.

"Darby will convince Kreacher then," the house-elf said before vanishing before their eyes.

"Who is Leigheas and why is there a house-elf here?" Sev asked of Harry, intrigued by the conversation if the height of the erect eyebrow was any indication to the iompróir's state of mind.

"That is Darby, beloved, and he is the Potter family house elf and Leigheas is me. The house-elves named me it years ago," Harry said, intending to take advantage of his mate's obvious distraction. If he wasn't careful, he would end up with an angry mate instead.

"When did you find out that the Potters even had a house elf? I could have sworn that you had no contact with the Magical world prior to Hogwarts… and yet you still earn the name of healer? Not even Elf-friends have earned that right…" The iompróir said after a moment of frustration, intending to solve the newest puzzle he had been given. Harry was amused but said nothing. He doubted Severus would appreciate his passing resemblance to Hermione at the moment.

"Sev, not now," Harry whispered before deciding to act like a Gryffindor. "Questions later. Most of these will be asked later anyway so you can learn them with everyone else."

That earned him an irritated growl that sent his blood on fire and the rest of his body to respond with his hunger. His Sev should not be allowed to continue teasing him without payment in return. He was having trouble keeping himself in check and the only reason he was succeeding was fear that his asgre would carry through on his threat of castration if he pushed things.

"So you just sent your elf to spy on the Death Eaters AND the Order…?" Sev finally asked once he could think again. He had already fallen prey to the Wybir's aura twice already and Harry was not doing anything to restrain it now while wanting nothing more to kiss and nip every inch of the delectable body.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at his mate's dazed expression.

It was time to seduce a mate.

_cwn_

Lucius Malfoy was not having a good month. No, it was better to say that he was not having a good year. Everything should have gone according to his master's plans since the banishment of the Potter brat into the Muggle World, but instead it was the start of when things began to fall apart. The boy should have been easy picks for his master except he had disappeared into thin air, and the act of banishing the brat encouraged the pawn Minister grow a backbone that he did not have the time to deal with at the moment. In fact, the removal of the brat did less to lower of the morale of Dumbledore and his order of fools than it did the Wizarding World. The only good it had was that the weak-minded fools were afraid that damaging their precious Potter had created another Dark Lord in addition to his master.

As if the goody-two shoes boy would live long enough for that to ever happen.

If he wanted to be honest with himself, the true start began with his master's resurrection. It revealed not one, but two, traitors that day: Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff, and another traitor to the cause one month later. If all goes well, they would be dealt with shortly, but he wanted her all to himself.

Narcissa had managed to use an archaic law to get out their twenty-five year marriage with not only her full dowry and the privileges that came with being born a Black, but the entirety of manor's house-elves and over half of the Malfoy fortune. He could care less about the house-elves and the money can easily be replaced (although the contacts granted through the Black name not quite as easily), but taking his son and heir was beyond excusable.

He had great plans for that boy and that woman had demolished them on a whim. His associates were still laughing at his newest humiliation.

For that, she was would die a very slow, painful death once he had his hands on her.

For now he would watch and wait as his master's newest plan came to being. Narcissa and her precious elves was not his lord's only eyes and ears, and they were certainly not his.

He looked up at the clock and grimaced.

When was that fool Rookwood going to show?

He could not afford any more delays while there was still much to be done.

As the office door opened, he grinned and rose to meet his guest.

It was time.

Notes

Maeshowe actually exists and it's location is on the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Maeshowe, like the vastly similar Newgrange in Ireland, are circular hilltop ruins from ancient times believed to burial mounds of kings of old. Although the exact origin for either mound is unknown, both are unique crafting as on the winter solstice a shaft of light will illuminate the lone corridor through the hill. This is the only time of year that this happens. 


	13. Chapter 12 navigating Maeshowe

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N- I normally try to answer all the reviews that come in with the exception of the ones marked "anonymous". Two late anonymous reviews for the previous chapters came in with the last chapter's posting that I must address and as I can not answer them privately, will need to do so here because they apply as much to these recent chapters as the ones they were posted to. I also think everyone should hear my answer anyway…**

**Rebecca, be happy I'm answering yours as a rather rude critique and not a flame. Bad writing and trying to "dumb down" a subject of expertise to someone completely ignorant of the subject matter are two entirely different things. The latter takes time to explain, even when reader does comprehend the subject in question. The notes in question are background information that plays very little importance to the overall of the story. The only point this proves is why an author should NOT beta their own work. I do not want a beta that stops after using the spell-check. I can do that quite well on my own, thank you.**

***sweat drops* To the one that calls themselves "WTF", this story would be abandoned before I withheld chapters. I mentioned once already that I can not stand such practices and as amusing as it was to see the reaction spawned by that first A/N, temptation and actual doing are not the same. The reviews I get only matter in that they tell me how well the story is being received and what I need to fix (one of the reasons why I enjoy receiving critiques) or explain later. So while I might complain about not getting more than three reviews per chapter, I have posted several times already with less than that. So yes, please ignore the grumbling that comes from the mouth of the great Lissa. She is trying to perfect her image of a good cynic (or would it be a pessimist?). **

***shrugs* She should also inform the reader that if it takes as long to post the next chapter as it did this one, she's probably in bed recovering from another one of her frequent migraines. Those tend to chase off the muse for several days…**

**On a lighter note, behold the scene that refused to end! So, on with the story…**

**I**

**I**

**I  
**

Chapter 13

He bemusingly watched his mortal companions as they passed through the first of the spiritual gates separating the Mortal World from the Faerie Realms for signs that they noticed the shifting winds of radiating energies and was disappointed when the only reaction was a momentarily look of confusion from the werewolf. The humans remained oblivious to change although the animagus' questioning as to whether it getting darker was a bit unexpected. He would have thought that the Fae-blood humans should have sensed something more than that. Other mixed bloods had in the past. He was not expecting the children to. They had proved already how unobservant they were during their run-ins together four years ago.

The puppy, at least, managed to show him how well he was able to blend in with the mortals.

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The puppy's teasing that had followed the end of that first year, he could have done without. He couldn't help it that soft music with a full stomach made him sleepy.

Yet it was nice to see the pup laugh, and he would be a lot happier to see the pup finally acting like a puppy instead of a spy or human soldier. His time at Hogwarts had allowed him to meet with the staff and elves there and it earned him some insight on how mortals worked while in an unguarded state. The crass man the puppy claimed and the little Professor that was also there intrigued him but he figured it may be because of the Fae blood he felt in them. His old friend did well to find friendship in them.

The sight of a half-giant walking through the streets in the company of a half-goblin, two hounds and a Sidhe prince would never gain same amount of attention in his homeland as it would have in the human realm. There they were barely tolerated.

That grim knowledge was another reason that he was glad to go home.

The main reason was a bit more personal.

He really did care about his old friend but what was Hagrid thinking by naming him "Fluffy"?

Traveling through the second gate sparked a reaction from the mortals as the Metamorphmagus stopped in her tracks looking around wildly while her cousin cursed loudly next to her. The two children looked onward in confusion but the werewolf had closed his eyes. He could see the tenseness in the werewolf's stance and grinned.

So the werewolf was already feeling the call of their homeland? That was very good to know. It meant that the human had not completely isolated the wolf but it also meant that he would have to keep a closer eye on the werewolf should he lose control of the wolf and transformed. He was in no danger from it; he could not say the same about the humans that traveled with them.

"What the bloody hell was that just now?" The animagus demanded of him.

He could explain or he could let them figure things out themselves but as these mortals already proved to be difficult, decided that an answer would be the easier path.

"That was the second of the Realms' defenses you felt. There are three more."

"Wait, what defenses?" The animagus snarled, torn between what was obviously anger and confusion caused by what he presumed was an unfamiliar situation.

He was ready to answer but the human girl beat him to it, "Oh, I know this! Ron, I know our research would pay off! We're at the dividing barrier between our world and the Faerie Realms, right? How fascinating… the books never said that there were five of them…"

"Wait, five of them? How do you figure that?" Her red-haired friend protested.

"Fluffy said this is the second gate. We must have already gone through the first one and did not notice it," she smugly answered. "How far back was the first gate?"

"Shortly before your companion asked whether it was getting darker in the hall," He answered, amused when the animagus' grey eyes lit up in delighted realization.

"So what do these gate defenses do exactly?" The Metamorphmagus asked and he wondered as to whether she would pass on the information to her masters upon their return to the Wizarding World. It did not matter if she did or not; the Wizarding community did not have the knowledge or strength to duplicate the barriers' abilities.

"The first three gates you need not worry about. The stones protect you but it is your wits and the presence of someone that has navigated the gates before to take you through the last two." He answered. He had their full attention, but was rather amused when all but the werewolf turned their gaze towards the elf stones they carried. "The three the stones aid you in are the defensive barriers designed to keep trespassers and lost mortals from venturing into the realms. The only ones allowed to pass unrestricted are either dead or of Fae descent."

"But my family is of Fae descent!" The animagus angrily argued, "And Moony is a werewolf… Doesn't that count for something?"

"The wolf needs not the stone to pass," He smugly told them. "He is Fae enough by virtue of the wolf he houses. Your blood, however, is too weak. You did not sense the first gate as even an eighth blood would have."

"Eighth blood?" The boy asked only to have his friend answer.

"I think he means that every human offspring after the fourth generation is too diluted in Fae blood to sense it," she said, trying to rationalize things out. It wasn't quite what he meant but the explanation was close enough to pacify them.

"And the rest of the gates?" The werewolf asked.

"Hold on a moment, Moony," The animagus protested before turning to face him. "What exactly do you mean by the dead?"

"Now that you will see as we arrive." He grinned at that, not surprised when the mortal's gaze went to the brainy teeny that traveled with them.

She was hesitant to answer, "The stories I found all say that the Forsaken Realms are part of the World of the Dead."

The Metamorphmagus agreed, "We did come through a burial tomb after all…"

The Wizard and the boy both paled before the younger of the two stammered out, "You're joking right?"

"You'll be seeing the rivers shortly," he told them.

"Rivers?" The boy asked, puzzled.

"Yes, rivers," she told him. "In Muggle mythology there are five rivers that separate the World of the Living and the World of the Dead. The most famous is the River Styx, which is also called the Sanzu. The other four rivers are called the Lethe, the Acheron, the Cocytus, and the Phlegethon. Will we need to pay the ferryman also?"

He couldn't help it but laugh as the Metamorphmagus protested. "Hermione, we're not dead!" She gave them all a sheepish look when she realized what she had just said.

She then gave him a fearful look and asked, "But is the rest of the stories true then? Because if it is, do we have enough food?"

"What are you harping about, Mione?" The animagus asked as the redhead boy paled.

It was the Metamorphmagus that answered, showing that she at least knew the Muggle teachings. "Those stories also say that if a mortal eats or drinks anything in the Faerie Realms that they are trapped there, unable to leave."

As was expected, the animagus exploded with protests. The hellhound wondered if his hearing would survive the rest of the trip if the Wizard remained so vocal. He had to answer or the Wizard would more than likely fail to be silent, "There is some truth to that. For a living mortal wishing to return to the Living World, they need the permission of the Lord of the Realm and must cleanse themselves physically of all substances that they encountered while there."

"What does that mean?" The boy asked, looking confused.

The werewolf answered quietly, "You fast."

"Fast?" He repeated, dumbly.

"No eating or drinking of anything until both the stomach and intestines are completely empty," The werewolf answered. "That generally takes between two and three days."

"But won't that kill us?" The boy asks, no doubt fearing for his stomach if the pup's stories about his two mortal friends were to be believed.

"A human body can last up to a month without food and a week without water, Ron," The Metamorphmagus answered immediately. He looked at her curious, wondering if she picked that knowledge up during her Auror training.

"In the Muggle World there are also a group of people, called Monks, that conditioned their bodies to a point where they can endure extremes like hunger, dehydration and even pain, for much longer periods of time than a normal person," the girl immediately agreed. His head popped up at that knowledge. He knew about the Asian monks and that piece of information sounded interesting. Maybe he would track down a guǐ or yūrei later to see if that was indeed true.

"So what are these last two gates then?" The werewolf finally asked and the rest of the humans turned their attention back to their guide.

He merely smiled, "The fourth gate is the time barrier. The last one is the Trial of the Sanzu."

"The what and the what?" The two Wizards asked as the two female member's eyes widened in horror.

Once again the werewolf beat him to the answer. "The time barrier is what Hagrid mentioned before we left. It's the force that causes the time differences between the Mortal and Faerie Realms. I'm not sure what the other is."

"It's the only difference between the legend of the Sanzu and Styx rivers." The girl told him warily, "Legend says that as you cross the Sanzu River, your soul is judged and the end result determines not only your placement in the afterlife but whether or not the judged person is eligible for reincarnation."

"Reincarnation?" The animagus asked. "What's that?"

"An inaccurate concept for another time," he answered. "Let us hurry. I do not wish to be late."

"But…," the girl protested, and he could tell that she wanted to have this debate now.

"Until we get past the Time barrier we will be traveling as though we were in the Core," he told them, "Any time spent here is too long."

"Why is that?" The werewolf asked.

"Because time does not move in the Core," he said grimly. "There is a reason why the Fae travel the greatest distances in the Mortal Realm, opposed to in the Forsaken Realms. The farther we are from the Heart of the Forsaken Realms, which we call the Core, the faster time travels. The ways that connect the realms together are all direct passages to the Core."

"I heard about the Core…,"the Metamorphmagus said warily. "Several ingredients used in making time turners are thought to come from there."

"Really?" That got the girl's attention. At least they were walking again. "How do you know that?"

"She probably overheard her mother at the floo," the animagus said amused as the woman blushed. "Andromeda was an Unspeakable."

Other than some snickering at the Metamorphmagus' flush, the conversation slowly dried up and the mortals once more fell into an uneasy silence. The silence remained until after they passed through the third gate.

"Wow, the cave really is getting darker! Was that another gate we just went through?" The girl squealed after his nod.

The boy stammered out at her delight, "Should we be feeling them?"

He sighed, unsure how to answer that. The pureblooded humans should not be feeling it at all. How was it possible for the girl to do so?

"Only if you're sensitive enough," was a safe enough answer.

He had a mystery to solve once they arrived in Sifra.

_cwn_

Filius Flitwick had perfected his persona of cheerfulness over his years of teaching but that mask was on the verge of breaking from the sheer venom that was spewed from the poor excuse of a witch that called herself the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He knew that Albus was having problems filling the DADA position but the present situation was ridiculous. He had not believed that it was possible to top Gilderoy Lockhart for incompetence until now, yet the Headmaster had managed not only to find one but TWO of them at the same time, and quite frankly felt that if the man was going to pacify a corrupt official on a power trip to at least find some that could teach.

He wasn't sure if he was more frustrated with Albus or the Ministry as both failed to make his job easier. The students were on the verge of rebelling, the ghosts already were, and the majority of the competent staff now was already under observation from the Ministry, like Albus was, or had stopped teaching altogether. The Ravenclaw Head of House already sympathized with the OWL and NEWT students and hoped they could retake the tests at a later time. His Ravens at least were hitting the books in their free time.

Delores Umbridge's latest rant on blood purity had most of the staff at the Head Table gritting their teeth and he was already debating as to whether or not to show her just how "intelligent" the non-human Magical beings really were.

He had several offers from several house-elves already, all waiting for the chance to poison her. They were even promising pictures after Peeves relieved his stash of what had been done to Severus' replacement earlier that week. No one was certain what exactly had happened as the man still refused to leave his quarters or even see Poppy. The photographs showed that he been pranked (which probably meant that at least one Weasley was involved), but the method was still unknown.

Hagrid and Sybil had already been chased away by the Ministry pair although they both were still on the grounds. Both Professors had been fired and replaced by more Ministry personal Umbridge whom had overridden the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress' authority of the school. She had even gone as far as making her missing partner her deputy. Fortunately she did not have the authority to make them leave. Sybil had continued asylum at the school and Hagrid was still the acting groundskeeper.

Filius was waiting for the day for the woman to oust Albus from the school. He feared that it would not be long. At the rate she was ranting on about blood purity, unfortunately the Charms Professor would soon be out of a job.

Hagrid wasn't the only one of the teaching staff with creature blood in his veins.

A movement out of the corner of his eye revealed the late arrival of one of his Fourth Year Ravens in the company of one of the Fifth Year Lions. As they took their seats for dinner, he scanned the tables taking note of the absences at each table. Several students, like young Malfoy and Potter, did not attend this year for one reason or another and several more had been pulled from the school by their parents since the start of the year. Each of the four houses was currently down by at least one student per year.

It was only then he noticed the small number at the Gryffindor table and mentally went back to do a head count. Several students that were still attending were missing and while he hoped that they had merely lost track of time, suspected that as unlikely.

A sudden shriek of shock and rage let him know what at least two of the missing students were doing as he turned in time to see the DADA Professor's hair turn a brilliant green before sprouting yellow and orange feathers. The resulting snickers and half concealed laughter did little to erase her ire but there was little she could do without a culprit.

No one would confess to this. With an exception to the few students that made up Umbridge's Disciplinary Squad, the school Houses was united again their common threat, which in this case was Umbridge and the rest of the Ministry lackeys.

He would need to inform Minerva later about her missing students later… after he rewarded the Gryffindors for a prank well executed.

Maybe he would take the house-elves up on their offer after all.

_cwn_

After what seemed only like a few minutes of walking in the dark, Ron finally noticed the moving energies that made up a Barrier. Unlike the previous gates, the Fourth Gate was visible to mortal eyes and could best be described as a fog bank of various colors.

"How pretty," Tonks had said. "It looks like the Northern Lights."

"Why is this barrier visible and the other three weren't?" Ron asked.

"Because this is the Time barrier and humans seem to base time on how fast light moves," Fluffy told him.

"Oh, I see!" Hermione stated, "It was getting darker in the tunnel earlier because time was slowing down, but now that time is speeding up, it's getting brighter again?"

"In theory anyway," the hellhound agreed.

"One that doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense," Ron muttered under his breath.

"Beyond this gate you will see the River Styx," Fluffy then told them, "but until you pass the Trial of Sanzu, the Forsaken Realms will be hidden from view."

"Hidden how?" Sirius demanded. The animagus wanted to see Harry as soon as possible to see whether or not his godson was alright.

"Judging from the shape of the barrier and the stories I've heard about this section of the Realms, I'd say fog, Padfoot," Remus answered, staring ahead while trying to regain control of Moony. He did not like this place and the fact that Moony was ready to break free at a moment's opportunity worried him. He knew something had sparked interest from the slumbering wolf blood, but was unsure of what it could be. Hopefully it would turn out to be nothing important, because he could not be certain of what would happen if the wolf took over.

He did not want to be the cause of even more grief to his loved ones. There were already too many bad memories.

Fluffy was the first one to enter the Time Barrier and they fell in step behind the giant.

The eerie greenish-grey fog was not as thick as he had expected it to be. It was enough to distort their surroundings and blur the shape of the people closest to him, but still thin enough to navigate through.

Fog also had the strange habit of warping reality and it felt like he was walking forever while his own paces contradicted those thoughts. It was only the brightening of the fog that encouraged him to continue forward. They would be out soon enough.

It was then he saw what appeared to be a streak of blue and the sound of the water that accompanied the gravelling voice of the hellhound.

"Welcome to the River Sanzu."

**I**

**I**

**I**

**Notes**

**Guǐ is the general name given for ghosts in Chinese while yūrei are ghosts in Japanese. Both guǐ and yurei have several subcategories.**

**What does monks have to do with dehydration? Just this- Several years ago I saw a documentary had quite a bit to do the Buddhist priests of Japan. The most of sacred of these priests would undergo a ritual that spanned several years that extracted all the water from their bodies before they were entombed in a well for another several years. If ritual worked as it should have, the end result was a mummy. Yes, the documentary was on self-mummification.**


	14. Chapter 13: Sanzu

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N=** **Here we go, finally. Should have been up earlier but I wasn't counting on getting sick.**

**I**

**I**

**I**

Chapter 12

"The 'River Sanzu'?" Tonks repeated the hellhound's words warily. "So this is the Fifth gate?"

"But why are **we **here?" Ron wanted to know. "Hermione said the Sanzu trial was for dead people. We're still alive!"

"Anyone living or dead that travels this way must go through the fifth gate," Fluffy told him. "The only exceptions are the guides and the elements."

"Guides naturally being the pureblood Fae," Sirius said bitterly.

Lupin asked, "Elements? Oh, you mean elementals…"

"What?" Hermione squeaked. "Elementals really exist?"

"When we get back to the Wizarding World, I'd suggest you research a Wizard by the name of Paralda," Lupin told her, amused. "If anyone can tell you about elementals, it would be him."

"So what do we do now, Fluffy?" Hermione asked, trying to see the river below. The fog made the river barely visible so the only thing she could see of it was the reflection of the water from what she presumed to be the sun.

"At the edge of the river, you will find either a way across or a way to what is probably certain death," Fluffy told him. "The trial can be fatal to the living and should you die here, your soul can not be retrieved. One of the rumors I heard is that those who die here later inhabit the waters."

"Inhabit the waters?" Ron repeated horrified.

Hermione grimaced, "Ron, there are sections in the Sanzu were venomous snakes lurk."

"One last warning," Fluffy said as he started towards the river, "If you had not noticed already, your wands will not work while we are on the path through the gates. Your magic can not help you here."

"What!" Only the werewolf did not protest in horror or shock at that information.

"Hermione, what is going on?" Ron asked. "What is going to happen to us?"

She said softly, "Ron, we should be fine. None of us should see a snake. Only those evil in heart and soul will see them. At the very worst, we'll find the ford instead of the bridge."

"Ford?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"A ford is a section of a river that's very shallow," Lupin told him and the equally puzzled Sirius. "At the most only a few feet deep. Your feet will get wet, but that's about it."

"Then why are you worried if we'll be fine, Hermione?" Ron asked, noticing how pale she was.

"Because I found about the Sanzu River while researching a religion called Buddhism several years ago," she answered grimly. "Most Asian faiths are can better be described as philosophies bent on improving a person physically and spiritually."

"So what?" He really did not understand.

"It means, Ron, that if you ever thought of hurting anyone or anything, no matter how insignificant, you are going to have problems here," Lupin understand what she meant. "The penalty will be much worse if you actually went through with any of those thoughts. The trial will use every negative action or emotion you ever had against you."

"So we're going to be our own worst enemies," Tonks swallowed.

"We can always go back, you know," Ron whispered. "Harry should be fine, right…?"

"Ron, how can you say that?" Tonks protested. "I thought he was your friend!"

"But, but…" Ron stammered under the glares of his companions. He didn't know how to explain without making things more difficult for everyone.

"So this is why Fluffy didn't tell us," Lupin sighed, starting down towards the river. "He knew we would react this way…"

"Wait up, Moony!" Sirius ran after him shouting. "I'm not going to let a Muggle religion or whatever keep me from seeing Harry!"

"Just Harry?" Tonks said as she chased after her cousin and lover. "You both do realize we're entering the World of the Dead, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Sirius didn't understand what she meant.

Lupin did though, "Ah! She means that we might see James and Lily while there."

"What?" Sirius stopped in his tracks at that. "You mean, I'll finally be able to apologize to Prongs for getting him and Lily killed…?"

Hermione and Ron had just caught up with the trio and heard his words. Ron said angrily, "It's not your fault. If it's anyone fault for Harry's parents dying, it's the Death Eaters."

"But I'm the one who told them to use that traitor as Secret Keeper…," the animagus growled.

"You didn't know," Lupin said softly. "We didn't know…"

Hermione gasped, directing their attention back to their surroundings.

They had arrived at the river's edge.

_cwn_

Fluffy sat down by the lone dead tree on the bank to wait for the mortals that argued amongst themselves on the other side of the river. This tree was reserved for the twin judges that placed the souls in their place of final rest, but there would be no judging today. The five mortals would either pass the trial and enter the Realms or they would fail and die.

There would be no in between.

The hellhound also knew from experience that the humans would not be seeing the same thing on the bank, as each soul had to take the test separately in order to advance. The close friendship between the two witches and three wizards might also cause problems. He did not to step in if he didn't have to.

As the humans separated to find a way across, he turned his attention up the river to where that strange scent he spotted earlier came from. The moving shadows indicated that the source of them had finally caught up, but was still far enough away for the oblivious mortals to notice. As far as he could tell, it was a single being moving quickly. At the rate it was rushing towards the bank, the soul responsible either had not noticed the river or was a frequent traveler of the route.

Fluffy then chuckled as his question was answered. It was the latter as the being in question leapt across the churning water of what could only be snake infested water only to disappear once more into the fog bank. He supposed that they would be seeing it again in the company of the Unseelie at the Council meeting.

What else could he expect of a werewolf that smelled of the blood of children?

_cwn_

Hermione sighed as she walked along the banks of the misty river in hopes of finding Ron or any of the adults again. It had been Lupin's idea to split up to search for a way across the river, but after that, everyone had just disappeared into the fog. She had found a rickety old wooden bridge only a few minutes into her search, and cautiously checked to see if it was safe. As it held her weight without so much as creaking, she decided to tell to the others of her find only to learn that she had lost the others. She could no longer even hear them anymore. The possibility of being left behind scared her.

Ron and Harry meant so much to her. They were her first friends, and her best ones. Sure, they had their problems -all friends do occasionally- but when times were desperate, they pulled together. It was that close friendship that let them succeed at anything, no matter how scary or difficult it was. She would never admit it to anyone, but it was also her friends that gave her strength.

She did not want to be alone anymore; she already endured enough of that in the Muggle world. There she had been too smart, too bossy and too rule-abiding to fit in with anyone, less of all her peers. She scared them away.

Hopefully someone had found the bridge while she was gone and was still there, and with that thought she headed back. She could see the large outline of what could only be Fluffy on the opposite bank and a hazy outline of something else. Deciding that they would be meeting up there instead, she hurried across the bridge to rejoin them.

_cwn_

Tonks was uncertain as to whether to call her findings a tightrope or something else. What she found was a pair of worn hemp ropes tied across the river to a dead tree stump on both banks, one tied at knee height and the other at shoulder height. The water underneath it looked like several feet deep but from the bank she could see that the river current was swift, possibly too swift to navigate through without assistance.

Her traveling companions had all vanished into the fog bank sometime ago, and knew that they could take care of themselves. She could see that someone made it across already and was irritated that they did not come to find her first. Once she got across the river, she would give them a piece of her mind.

Looking once more at the strong current, she sighed before hoisting herself up onto the lower of the two ropes. Praying that the ropes didn't snap or that she slipped (which was more than likely with her history), she held onto the higher rope before taking the first step forward. Neither rope surprisingly was slippery from algae, so she carefully took another step and then several more until she safely made her way across. Once on the other bank, she collapsed in relief and stared at the rope-bridge thing that had vanished once again into the fog.

How the hell did she get across that without falling in?

Perhaps she was better off not knowing…

_cwn_

"Somewhere between the bridge and the forge, huh?" He mused. "Did the trial judge me on wolf's merits or my own?"

Lupin grimly stared at the path before him. It's not that he had any reservations about his ability to cross. The route ahead did not look too difficult. A series of half submerged stepping stones spanned between the banks of what he considered to be fairly shallow water.

No, the anxiety was due to his train of thoughts. Multiple odors hung in the air for all for experience as an invisible testament to all that had traveled the ways before and he had caught the faintest whiff of an enticing scent of something or someone that had passed through earlier. Unfortunately, the area's close proximity to the Realms' core made it impossible to tell how long ago that happened.

For his sake, he hoped that it was long ago and the owner was dead and gone.

Dora didn't need the additional heartache. He truly did love her and it hurt knowing that the wolf did not consider her his mate. Her scent was similar enough the wolf's chosen to pacify Moony, but it was not enough to halt the guilt. He could only speculate that it was something in the Black family's blood as being in the close proximity of Sirius and his brother also drew similar reactions yet the mere scent of the Black sisters had repeatedly drawn bouts of anger from the wolf.

As near as Lupin could figure it had not been Andromeda, Narcissa and Bellatrix that had angered Moony, but the constant reminder of their husbands. He was fairly relieved that he had never been left alone with any of the three. Moony would probably try to override their claim or something just as stupid and that was something he wished to avoid.

Sirius was reckless enough for the two of them.

There was also Harry to consider. He still didn't know how he missed that the boy was a Fae. It should have been obvious as not even James bore that strong of the blood and Lily (as far as his senses could tell) had been a pureblooded human. That in itself was a bit of a conundrum that had two determined Gryffindor scholars running for the books during their final year at Hogwarts. The results of their search and left them speechless.

It was all a matter of genetics. The bloodline of very witch or wizard in existence could be traced back to some sort of liaison between a human and Fae. But how could they tell the world that there was no such thing as a pureblood Wizard and that creature blood was a must if they desired a strong magical heir? If the Wizarding World continued interbreeding, the desire for blood purity would slowly kill them all off.

The result of the initial search had sparked the pair into another massive research session that left more questions than answers. Without revealing the truth as to what they were doing, the nearest Lupin and Lily could speculate was that the mass majority of what the Wizarding World called "Muggleborn" was in fact the children of two Squibs while the rest had been born the same the first of their kind had been: the offspring between a Fae and a Muggle.

Yet the search did not solve his questions regarding Lily's blood; it created more. Far too many in his opinion. How was he going to tell Harry? James did not know and they never told Sirius either. Fortunately Wormtail also didn't know or that information would have been in Voldemort's hands by now.

Hopping across the river by stepping stones was the least of his problems. He just hoped there was a solution in their futures sometime soon.

With that in mind, he ventured across.

_cwn_

Ron was not very happy with what he found as he plopped down on the bank in a huff. There was nothing there but a river staring back at him and he couldn't find his companions either. They were missing. Fortunately he also did not see any of the snakes Hermione warned him about but he couldn't find a bridge either and that water looked far too deep to be a ford. Didn't Lupin say that the water on a ford was supposed to be shallow?

"This is not what they told me," he grumbled. "So what do I do now?"

He knew he could try to swim across and maybe if he was lucky the water looked deeper than it really was. He was a fairly strong swimmer and the river had no current from what he could see, but the part of him that was holding him from taking the plunge into what was probably very cold water was asking if it was worth it.

It was the same part that insisted he would always be the third wheel with his two best friends and he would never amount to anything more than being Arthur Weasley's sixth son. It was the part of him that envied Harry's fame, Hermione's intelligence, Malfoy's money and his eldest brothers' charisma and good looks and the reason why he could not take an insult, no matter how slight. He would never be as good as they were. All he had ever been good at is chess and he never seriously considered himself great at that either. Sure, he could beat almost everyone in the Gryffindor dorms but the majority of his fellow lions only played once or twice in their lifetime, if that.

Last year's Yule Ball proved that he also had absolutely no luck with the fairer sex. Fleur had laughed in his face that time he asked and his actions during the Ball managed to infuriate Hermione and the Patil twins. Padma still had not forgiven him for that night.

No matter what he chose to do, he could not go back. He needed Fluffy to navigate him back through the other barriers and an adult to Apparate him off the islands before he could go back to either Hogwarts or the Burrow. He also could not leave Hermione to fend off the Fae on her own. Sirius, Lupin and Tonks were grown ups and could take care of themselves but they could not protect Hermione too. He also needed to make certain that Harry was alright.

The Slytherins and Fae could not be allowed to convert his best mate.

Rising back to the feet, he eyed the river once more. There was no change to the water and still no signs of any snakes. He would have to risk it. He was a Gryffindor after all.

It was time to take the plunge.

_cwn_

Sirius Black growled as he paced the length of the river looking for anyway across the raging river he saw before him. It did not look deep more than a foot deep but the clear patches in the otherwise white water revealed that the river bottom was very rocky. The trek across would not be easy but if that greasy bastard Snivellus could get across this than he should too. He wasn't a black-hearted Death Eater so what were the chances of him drawing a snake? He didn't at his sorting so he shouldn't now.

The river however had other idea as he saw something swimming in the clear section of water that was certainly not a fish.

"Bloody hell!" He jumped back from the bank, but his curiosity made him return seconds later to search the water once more. Whatever it could have been was long gone and hopefully stayed that way. After a moment's thought, he decided that his eyes were playing tricks on him and that whatever it was had been either a shadow or one of those long fish-things.

What did Lily call them… eels?

With a smirk, he decided that it was definitely an eel he saw and once again turned his eyes back to the river in hopes of spying a safer place to cross. The fog made it difficult to see too much and the rest of his companions had disappeared into the fog not that long ago. He doubted that they were having any more luck finding a way to cross than he was and turned once more his attention back to his own dilemma.

They would find him when they were ready. If not, he would go look for them later.

Fluffy apparently already made it across and with his long legs; the sight did not surprise him. The giant probably made it the other bank in two or three steps.

The giant also said that magic would not work here but was he really telling them the truth? He was, after all, a Faerie and those creatures were known for their lying, cheating ways. It was probably their common blood that helped Snape get across anyway.

That was fine with him. He didn't need a handicap from those creatures anyway.

There was only one way to find out. He drew his wand from his robes and silently said the spell that under normal circumstances would summon a boat to appear. The spell failed when nothing appeared. Deciding that a boat wouldn't be of much help anyway, he quickly cast other various spells to help aid him across the river to have the same results.

So Fluffy had been right; magic really did not work here. He would have to try again once they got to the other side to see just how far this anti-magic field extended, and should he find out whether or not he'd get splinched if he made the attempt, try to Apparate as well. If he was successful, then perhaps he could take Harry to someplace safe.

Anyplace had to be safer than where they were now even with the black bastard, Voldemort, running around loose in their world. He just had to find one where they would be safe from both the Death Eaters and the Ministry.

Actually the thought of hiding together with Harry sounded like a good one. They were both fugitives of the law and innocent of all wrong doings besides. Maybe he could convince Moony to join them…

It would be just like old times.

So how to get to the other side? He could not see any place less treacherous to cross than where he was now and that snake-like fish-thing was visible again. Maybe he could scoop it out of the water and hopefully kill it, but another the appearance of another one nixed that idea. There were probably more there hidden in from view then, so he decided that was probably a bad idea.

Besides, didn't Moony and Hermione say doing anything harmful here would make things worse?

He then considered his options and wondered if Padfoot would have better luck finding a route. Seconds later, he had to discard that idea as well. He could not access his animagus form and growled in frustration before collapsing on the river bank.

Losing his animagus form should not be possible. Was the anti-magic field really that strong? It had to be…

He then groaned. He would have to do this the Muggle way then.

That would mean that he would need to take some risks. He decided that there only way to make it across.

He ran.

_cwn_

When they regrouped on the other bank by the tree, Fluffy gave them each an amused look before leading them out of the fog. After what seemed to be only seconds, they witnessed what appeared to be vast field of rolling hills and in the center of it a valley where a light shined. They could also see the glimmer of water that was confirmed by their ears.

Fluffy grinned and then said, "This is the edge of the Forsaken Realms… so, welcome to Sifra."

_cwn_

He observed from the shadows as the group of six passed by him without noticing before smirking. He thought that that they looked familiar but needed to be certain. Things would get interesting and he considered that a good thing.

Fenrir Greyback left his hiding spot before venturing down into the city below.

**I**

**I**

**I**

**Notes**

**Paralda is a Italian that befriended the wind elementals and later became their king.**

**The ferryman in Greek mythology is a man called Charon, whom is now associated with as the Grim Reaper given their similar appearance... The word "Grim" actually means 'hooded' or 'masked'. While Charon is associated as the ferryman of the river Styx, in actuality he pilots the Acheron instead.**

**In Japanese Buddhist faith, the Sanzu River is known as the River of Three Crossings. As the body was buried with six coins in order to pay the ferry man after a seven day trip, the newly dead soul would need to cross the river on the last day to reach the afterlife. The river is said to have three crossing points (a bridge, a ford, and a spot containing serpent infested water) but where the soul crossed depends on their actions while alive. The pure and good used the bridge, the ones that were neither good nor evil used as the ford, while the evil swam through the snakes. On the bank, two demons were said to watch and later to judge just how grievous these offenses were by the weight of a person's (presumably waterlogged) clothing.**

**The Rivers of Hades= In Greek Mythology, the underworld of Hades is said to be bordered by either five rivers or by one river (the Styx) that circled the realm nine times. The dead soul must pay the toll to Charon to pass (the body was buried with either a coin in the mouth or one coin in both eye sockets to pay) or would wander lost forever. The rivers each bears the name of a deity and some, like the Acheron, are also existing rivers in real world. The Styx is known as the 'river of hate' in Greek Mythology and along with the Phlegethon, Acheron, and Cocytus rivers are said to converge at the center to form a great marsh. The Divine Comedy (by Dante) states that the Styx is part of the Fifth level of hell. The Acheron is known as the 'River of Pain' in mythology, and is the primary river of Tartarus. Both the Styx and the Cocytus rivers originate from the Acheron and the Phlegethon conjoins with it. Many myths also describe the Acheron as a lake or swamp. The Cocytus is known as the 'river of wailing' in Greek Mythology and Dante claims it as a frozen lake that holds Lucifer imprisoned. The Phlegethon is known as the 'river of fire' in Greek Mythology that runs parallel with the Styx. Dante calls it a river of blood designed to boil souls of murderers in the seventh level of hell and was guarded by centaurs. The Lethe (meaning 'truth') is known as the 'river of forgetfulness' in Greek Mythology and waters were drank in order to wipe away the memories of those being reincarnated. The Lethe is also believed of be the border of Elysium, where the virtuous dead reside, but many myths also call it a lake or even a plain. The properties from the waters of the Lethe were said to be countered by some drank from some of the pond of Mnemosyne (meaning memory). Souls were encouraged to drink from the Mnemosyne instead.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer- While the plot is mine, the characters are not… I'm just playing with them.**

**A/N=** **Happy New Year to everyone, although it'd be a better start to the year if this *taps broken hit counter* had actually worked for me more than two days this year... **

**Also, I can not guarantee when the next chapter goes up, because honestly I do not know. I can tell you now that the next few chapters will involve Harry's past and can't go up until they all are written (I blame placement order for the delay), so if you have a suggestion for any particular memory you want to see in the near future, you should tell me now.**

**I**

**I**

**I**

Chapter 15

"Brilliant!" Ron gasped as they made their first steps into the settlement that was Sifra. The city looked like it had been sculpted out of an old rainforest, or had one grow over the entirety of the city, and even in mid-October looked as green and full of life as if it had been spring. There was not much of a crowd but the people who filled the streets were every size and shape wearing clothes that were popular in both the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds, and even some that wore little or no clothing at all. A vast majority of the population they saw looked human, so the small group of Wizards felt somewhat comfortable in the strange area.

"This place feels almost as if we walking inside a dream," Hermione whispered, awed as touched one of the building walls. "It's warm?"

Fluffy smirked at her before saying, "You think we would use dead wood in the making of our homes and businesses? Everything here was supplied by the Earth as the Fae believe in living with the planet rather than taking from it."

"So everything here, except for the ghosts and stonework, is alive then?" Tonks asked.

"Exactly," Fluffy agreed.

Remus stopped when she ventured to a vendor stand where several wooden stringed and reed instruments sat on display. He carefully looked at the display before his gaze came to rest on an elegantly carved small harp. "All of this is living?"

"I certain hope so," Sirius commented and Tonks promptly turned her head when she heard Hermione's snort. Realizing that her cousin was looking at something else, she cautiously followed his gaze before smacking Sirius and Ron in the back of the head.

"Boys, keep your eyes in your heads," she scolded them. They were ogling up what appeared to be a voluptuous green-skinned woman with long flowing copper hair dressed only in oak leaves posing in front of a merchant's mirror with a scarf of some iridescent fabric.

"Good advice," Fluffy agreed, "as half of the Unseelie and quite a few of the Seelie use seduction to catch their prey. That pretty little nymph you're staring at is a dryad. She won't kill you should you gain her interest but then again, she won't need to."

"What does that mean?" Sirius asked warily, trying to keep his eyes away from the beautiful woman.

"Falling in love with a nymph is like falling under the Imperious," Hermione grimly told him. "Once in her thrall, you'd do anything to get her affections, even to the point where you gladly hurt or kill yourself or someone else if it meant a kiss or two. They are beautiful for a reason."

"Is she also a nymph then?" Tonks asked, turning their attention to a small stone bridge where a pair of lovers watched the gently babbling water below. Lupin promptly gave Fluffy a confused look when he thought he heard the hellhound growl.

"No, that is an Inugami vixen," the Hound stated, eying up the couple.

Hermione then gasped when she got a better look, "Wait, is that Malfoy with her?"

"Is that bad?" Ron asked, trying to find out what the big deal was.

"An Inugami's kiss is similar to that of a Dementor's," Fluffy told them before storming over in that direction. Confused to the hellhound's actions but being knowledgeable of what the Dementors capable of, his human companions followed in hopes that the boy in question was the missing Malfoy scion and could lead them to either Snape or Harry.

It was only as they approached that they got their first look at the Fae Fluffy called an Inugami. She was not tall or any older than the teens but held the same sort of draw that Fleur possessed. Her long black hair was tied up in buns that had escaped into pigtails that hung to her narrow waist. She was dressed in a white sleeveless robe bound shut a long sash-like belt of the same hue that barely reached mid-thigh and socks with toes under a pair of wickers. The sight of the toed socks didn't bother so much as the fact they were on the tiniest feet any of them have ever seen. The final touch to the ensemble were flared sleeves tied mid forearm that hid her hands and fell to mid-waist also of the same shade and material as the robe she wore. Slanted golden eyes met them from a pretty face as she separated from the embrace of the red robed blond that they easily identified as the missing Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin was momentarily confused before his silver eyes spotted them.

"I take it that you're here for Potter?" He chose to address them, sneering, as his girlfriend ducked from view before turning to watch over his shoulder.

"That and to know why you are with her," Fluffy told him, his eyes still locked on the strange girl.

"Mōshinikui Argos-san," She whispered with her words only auditable to Draco, Remus and Fluffy's ears.

Draco proceeded to glare for a moment before he smirked, "Ah, so you're one of them!"

"What is that suppose to mean?" Ron demanded. He hated being left in the dark while his guide and rival were both talking in riddles and ignoring them. A quick glance at his companions also indicated they were no wiser to the situation.

"Oh, that," He told Fluffy, ignoring the hellhound's companions. "From what I understand, the arrival of my mother and me attracted a bit of attention from the Wild Ones. As a favor to Potter, Sayuri agreed to be my bodyguard. I think they're hoping that her presence will make them leave me alone, not that it matters. I know better than to kiss a Fae, especially a pretty one."

Sayuri stated firmly with no hint of accent, "Vixens do not go after other vixens' prey."

Fluffy gave her an amused look before saying, "Ah, I see. You're a _myobu_." He then chuckled as she beamed at him.

"A what?" Sirius asked, puzzled.

"_Myobu_ are a small group of Inugami that serve as the messengers and guardian spirits of Lord Inari," Fluffy told them.

"Of who?" Ron didn't understand either but Hermione gasped in recognition.

"She a fox spirit?"

"Indeed, although this pup is no more than a two-tail and won't be on active duty until her last tail appears," Fluffy agreed.

"Hermione, who is Inari?" Ron wanted to know.

"In the Shinto and Buddhist religions Inari is the god of agriculture and industry and is the Patron God of foxes," she answered. "The foxes that serve under him are all white with nine tails."

"I take it that your studies into Buddhism led you that far?" Lupin told her amused.

Hermione gave him a sheepish look before stating, "Well, Inari is a principal deity in Buddhism so how could I not?"

"What does any of this have to do with my godson?" Sirius demanded. He had been lost since they arrived and wanted answers.

The two hellhounds looked at each other in shock before Draco gave them all a bemused look. Smirking, he then said the confirmation that Remus was dreading. "What, they didn't tell you? Potter, like these two, are hellhounds."

"What!" Sirius protested as the shock ran over Tonks and him but Ron looked ready to kill. The only thing holding him back was Hermione, who grabbed his arm.

"How do you know Fluffy is a hound?" She demanded.

"I'm not stupid, Granger," Draco coolly told her. "Sayuri said Argos, which I know for a fact is a breed of hellhound. I had the honor of playing Quidditch with the packs several weeks ago, which included two Argos puppies."

Fluffy asked amused, "You taught the packs Quidditch? I take it that the pup was involved in that."

"It is fun," Sayuri defended herself.

"Pup…?" Draco grinned at the comment. "You mean Potter? Naturally. After all, what else is he good at?" Ron growled in anger at the insult and broke free of Hermione's grip. Before he could make it a foot forward, he found himself on his back with Sayuri standing over him, glaring down at him.

"Hey! What was that for?" He demanded, trying to figure out what just happened. He remembered taking a couple steps before falling on his back with his breath knocked out of him.

"You tried attacking my charge," she told him. "Be happy all you were was thrown. I've killed bigger mortals than you for even less."

Her words had him speechless and the laughter he heard from his companions had the red appearing. How did he manage to be bested by a girl that barely stood up to his chin?

"We were originally waiting for Mhen to appear but I suppose we ought to get you situated then." Draco sighed.

"I take it we were expected then?" Fluffy asked, confused.

"Dumbledore sent ahead a notice of your arrival," the Slytherin answered, "but it was Lady Freya that informed us this morning to be on the lookout for you."

Fluffy smiled, "Nothing gets past her."

"Who is this Lady Freya?" Tonks asked.

"A very wise woman that also happens to be a seeress without equal," Fluffy answered.

"And Mhen?" Hermione asked, curious.

Draco answered. "Another of my frequent guards. If you hang out enough with Potter, you will eventually meet the rest of his 'friends'."

"And Harry?" Remus asked, curious.

"If Potter isn't wrapped with up with everything else," Draco snorted, "More than likely."

"Is he participating in the relays then?" Fluffy asked.

"No," Draco informed him. "Lord Arawn said he arrived too late in the year to participate and because Sayuri's too young, she won't be participating either."

"But we can cheer for Mhen and our pack mates," Sayuri agreed.

"Lord Arawn…?" Hermione repeated, started, "He's a Fairy lord of Wales… wait, Harry's a Cŵn Annwn?"

"Cŵn Wybir actually," Fluffy informed them, before staring at Draco. "I take it this batch will be housing with you in that wing then? Which Lord is sponsoring it?"

"Lord Wotan I believe," Draco looked thoughtful at that, "but I wouldn't be surprised if it's only because he's trying to regain Snape's favor. Although if Mother's words are accurate, the real thanks should go to Lady Freya."

"Does that make a difference?" Hermione asked, skeptically.

"Snape's iompróir," Draco answered smirking as Fluffy stood rigid and Lupin gasped at the news.

"What does that have to do anything?" Sirius demanded.

"Padfoot, an iompróir is Fae royalty," Lupin grimly told him. "It also means that Severus probably will be staying in the Faerie Realms once we leave."

"Which also means that if you came to get Potter, you're out of luck because Potter won't leave unless Snape does," Draco told them, smirking.

"And why the bloody hell would he want to stay with Snape when he has us?" Sirius demanded.

"They're asgre," Draco said smugly.

"Ah, so the pup finally captured his mate," Fluffy said, amused when the werewolf at his side rubbed his temples in dismay.

Draco grinned, "Exactly."

Sirius growled but it was Ron that exclaimed, "You filthy lying Slytherin! Just wait until we talk to Harry-"

"Go right ahead then," Draco said dismissively, "See if I care. You should be able to see them both this evening."

"Why can't we see Harry now?" Hermione demanded, angrily.

"He's with Snape," Draco answered. "Lady Freya summoned them this morning and I don't know how long they will be. So, lets all be good little guests and get you all tucked in so you can rant to your gracious hosts later when they are available again."

"Fine…," Sirius growled, not liking the way things were going but unable to do anything.

Fluffy then turned his attention to Sayuri before speaking, "I can trust you to look after these mortals while I pay my respects to the Mistress."

"Hai," She nodded, "We will take them to the wing now so they can unpack."

"Thank you," the large man turned to nod to the others of the group before leaving them to the surreal world that they found themselves to.

Sayuri promptly told them, "Come, follow me. It may be safer if you talk once inside. Many of my kin do not look kindly on mortals."

"The feeling is mutual," Ron grumbled under his breath as they followed the pretty hellhound girl.

_cwn _

Sayuri led them to a large building that structurally appeared to have been created for several interlocking trees, before leading them into the building. It was only inside that they realized that there was more to the building than just trunks and leafy branches, as they found layers of iridescent silk curtains swaying in the light breezes, irreplaceable tapestries of an older time and exquisite pottery and stone work that anchored and cemented the ensemble into a gorgeous manor home. As Ron and Hermione stared at the finery torn between awe and envy, the Inugami girl momentarily paused to talk to one of the manor servants. Sirius glared at the backs of Sayuri and Draco on the verge of exploding with rage as the little house-elf like creatures scurried off down the hall.

He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"What is going on here?" Sirius demanded. "What are these things?"

Sayuri looked at him confused as Draco gave him a condescending look while his cousin and best friend both graced him with looks of pity. The blond prat that was his blood through his cousin even had the gall to ask, "Whichever do you mean? Can't you be a little more specific?"

"Ever since we learned that my godson arrived here, I've hearing names attached with no description as to what the bloody hell they are," he growled. "I had enough of that! I demand to know what is going on… NOW!"

Remus sighed as Tonks snickers, ignoring the wide-eyed looks given by Ron and Hermione and the puzzled look of their guide. The fact that the blond Slytherin also failed to hold his tongue under the animagus' rage could only spell trouble for them all.

"You want a history lesson?" Draco remarked. "Didn't Binns teach you anything or was he as boring in your era as he is in ours?" That also earned more snickering from Tonks, and even some from Ron as Hermione protested.

"Fine, were do you want to start?"

That left Sirius frozen in confusion but Hermione was quick to jump in with a question, "Fluffy called Harry a Cŵn Wybir, which I'm presuming is a hellhound, but I've never heard of any other Fae called Cŵn other than the Cŵn Annwn. Are they related?"

Draco grimaced at the question, "His name is Fluffy? Who named the poor sod that?"

Sayuri ignored him to answer, "The Cŵn Annwn was originally all one pack but there are three branches now, each under a separate master. Lord Gwyn's pack is all that's left of the original Cŵn Annwn as Lord Wotan's Cŵn Bendith eu Mannau bear Warg blood and the Cŵn Wybir of Lord Arawn are of greyhound stock."

"Does that make much of a difference?" Hermione asked.

"The wolf blood makes the Mannau the most vicious of the three packs and the greyhound blood makes the Wybir the quickest," Sayuri informed them.

Draco decided to interrupt, "They also look different. They only thing the three have in common are those red ears of theirs."

"Really?" She was interested. "You've seen Harry then? What does he look like then?"

"Which form, Granger?" Draco asked. "The majority of Fae have more than one, and I know for a fact that Potter has at least three of them."

"You're making that up," Ron glared at him.

"Potter is part of a shape shifting species of Fae that only comes into existence when a human child dies before the age of three," Draco told him. "What does that tell you?"

Ron glared as Sirius asked, "And her?"

"I am a fox," Sayuri told him.

Lupin sighed, "Padfoot, the Inugami are a category of their own. As far as I know, they are the only breed of hellhounds that were actually born canines. It was at their death that they gain the ability to take human form."

"What?" Sirius looked at him stunned.

"The Faerie Realms are in the World of the Dead for a reason," Lupin grimly told him. "The creatures we call Fae are in fact ghosts."

"No way!" Ron was shocked.

"Oh, that's why Fluffy dismissed my comment on reincarnation!" Hermione gasped.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"Reincarnation is what Muggles call the process of a soul of a dead person that gains another physical body," she told him, "but if Fae themselves are the strongest and most pure form of a ghost, then reincarnation must just be another way of them taking a physical form."

"No, it's not," Sayuri answered. "What you call reincarnation is what happens when a Fae's body becomes so badly damaged that it must call on the elements to repair itself. We Fae are unable to die, yet at the same time we do not live."

"What does that mean?" Sirius asked.

Lupin sighed, "The Fae are cursed beings. Unlike other ghosts, they are unable to past the gates into the Veil where the other dead reside. All they can do is exist."

"Much too deep for me," Ron said. "So, where are these rooms of ours?"

"This way," Draco sighed, as the others sank into their thoughts as Sayuri led them around a corner and then down one of the corridors. He then proceeded to snicker as Ron finally remarked.

"That pretty girl in front of that mirror at the market was a ghost then?"

"Yes, Ron," Hermione said, "She was."

"You wouldn't be able to do anything anyhow," Lupin told him amused. "Nymphs are spirits of nature that take female form, be it earth, water, air and even fire. Their male counterparts are called fauns. Fluffy called that one in the market a Dryad, which are the spirits of oak trees."

"That makes no sense," Hermione told him. "Wouldn't that make nymphs and fauns elementals then?"

"No, if anything, it would be in reverse actually," Lupin sighed. "You just called the Fae the most powerful form of a ghost, and I doubt there is anyone here that will dispute that. With that course of reasoning in mind, you might as well call an elemental a nymph or faun also… of what we know as magic."

"Then why is this Council a big deal then?" Ron asked as Hermione gasped in understanding. "Ghosts don't affect the Wizarding World much, though they appear there easily enough."

"They affect the Wizarding World more than you realize," Lupin told him. "Every magical being or creature, from wizards and house-elves to centaurs and mandrakes can trace their magic back to the Fae. Without the Fae there is no such thing as magic."

Hermione gasped as Tonks looked around in shock, "Then the Forsaken Realms are the origin of all magic."

"Yes," Lupin said grimly. "And if we lose the support of the Fae, we can kiss the Wizarding World goodbye because in a thousand years, our children will all be Muggles."

"So that's the real reason why more squibs being born each year…," Draco mused.

"What does that mean?" Sirius demanded.

"Talk of genetics from Malfoy?" Hermione gave him a stunned look, before explaining. "He means that we all get certain traits from out parents at birth, but only a tiny fraction of it is what enables us to use magic. So unless something can replenish that particular gene, after a few generation, it completely disappears."

Sirius snorts, "Now that explains the purity mania of the Purebloods. They're just trying to stall the inevitable because they don't want resort to using creature blood."

"Afraid so," Lupin agreed as Sayuri promptly opened a door that led into another corridor.

Once in the corridor she stopped in front of the first door on the left and said, "I am thinking that you wish to share rooms while you are here, so gentlemen in this room and ladies will be in the room across from them. You may also use the other rooms in this wing if you would like, however, do leave some unoccupied if you want different sleeping arrangements. There will be others using this wing."

"Thank you, Sayuri," Lupin nodded to her as Ron opened the door into the room.

He then asked her, "Are you sure these are our rooms and not someone else's?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, pushing past him, and then froze at the sight before her.

On the table in the center of the room lay a pensive.

**I**

**I**

**I**

**Notes**

**Mōshinikui Argos-san= I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Argos (Japanese)**

**Hai= a Japanese word that symbolizes affirmation that's usually translates as "yes", "okay" or even "right!"**

**And because I seem to be doing Japanese words this time:**

**Inugami- dog spirit**

**Sayuri- small lily**


	16. Notice

2/21/13= I'm sorry to say but from this moment on I will no longer be posting any more fanfiction here or on any other site. I know that several people have requested that I continue The Great Elf War, but I find that I can not do it. I have suffered too many health and technical problems over the last year for the effort to be worth it, but losing THREE years worth of work on my originals because of one fanfic is the final straw. I love fanfiction, but writing it has never been anything more than a hobby for me.

I will leave the stories up but at this point consider them abandoned.

Lissa


End file.
